Jaune: Center of the Multiverse
by SGArkosfan
Summary: Jaune Arc is a not-so simple young man, with a past shrouded in secrecy. He is also the only chance for salvation in many worlds within the Multiverse. What! Why is that dunce so important! Shut up Ice Queen! *Ahem* Anyway, join us as we explore the past and the potential futures of this brave soul. Adventure awaits! With a sprinkle of romance later on.
1. Prologue

**Hey everyone, so after reading JC of the Corn's work "Endless possibilities of Jaune Arc" and Old Wolf Logan's "RWBY Watches Classic Movies", both of which are awesome, I thought about giving this multiverse bit a go. Just fair warning, this is my first time writing a story so expect some grammar errors and mistakes. Now without further ado, let's get this show on the road!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or any other work that I plan to use, they belong to their respective owners (RIP Monty, we miss you still).**

**Chapter 1: Where are we!?**

It is the start of the weekend, a week before the big dance, and Teams RWBY and JNPR were in the cafeteria, without another soul there (AN: wonder how that happened?), and listening to Jaune try to woo Weiss again, to her growing frustration.

"So, Snow Angel, the dance is in a couple days, I thought maybe we cou-" Jaune said.

"Alright, that does it." Weiss interrupted. Before, she was trying her best to ignore what the dunce was dribbling on about and enjoy her lunch, but her patience finally ran out. She stood up, faced him, and glared at him so hard, that his remarks stopped in his throat. "Listen here you dunce, I will only say this once. I will NEVER go out with you. You must be the most hopeless, talentless huntsman in this school, and I cannot think of a single reason why Ozpin thought it was a good idea to let you in, let alone be chosen as leader. You are a disgrace, and honestly, perhaps it would have been best if you never bothered to come here. Just leave me alone and never bother me again!" After her harsh declaration, she took some deep breaths.

The table was silent, Blake was wide-eyed, Ruby and Pyrrha were glaring holes into Weiss's head, and Nora was struggling against Ren and Yang to leap out and break some legs, preferably some heiress' legs. Jaune simply had his head down, his hair shadowing his expression, then he looked up. His goofy smile in place, but his eyes were darker, emptier. He looked at Weiss, her glare still in place but diminished somewhat due to how evident her words took their toll.

*sigh*"Ok Ms. Shnee, I'll stop, sorry for bothering you."

Jaune then stood up, bowed his head, and prepared to leave. Pyrrha tried to get him to stop, but he refused and left. Weiss was a bit surprised and felt a bit of pain in her chest from seeing the idiot so down like that but recovered.

"Good Riddance then."

Ruby could take no more. She stood up and promptly slapped Weiss hard.

"OW!" Weiss rubbed her cheek "What was that for you dolt?"

Ruby simply glared at her and pointed to the other occupants in the table. Weiss looked to see Pyrrha glaring at her with a deathly aura surrounding her, and then noticed Nora still being held back by her partner and Yang, her hand over the mad bomber's mouth so she wouldn't make any loud noises and all three glaring at her, and Blake was looking at her with her trademarked stoic expression, but the disappointment was clear in her eyes. Weiss, after seeing how her words affected everyone at the table, sat back down to finish eating her lunch, while taking small peaks at the spot where Jaune used to sit.

Ruby, not noticing this, went to Pyrrha and asked her. "Hey Pyrrha, is he going to be okay?"

"I don't know" Pyrrha said, now with a sad expression on her face.

Yang, who finally sat down after calming Nora down, asked her with concern on her expression and voice "I'm sorry P-money."

"It's not your fault Yang, you have nothing to apologize for." Pyrrha said, glaring at Weiss again momentarily, letting everyone know who she really blamed. "It's just..." *sigh* "It's just I wish for him to be happy."

Weiss, hearing that, felt worse.

"Jaune has been distancing himself from us lately too." Pyrrha revealed. "He's been acting a bit strange for a while now."

"Huh, how so?" Ruby asked.

"Well, he's been getting moodier and sometimes at night I can hear him mumbling and moving around a lot in his sleep." Pyrrha explained. Yang looked thoughtful and Ruby felt worried for her first friend in Beacon.

"Maybe we should look for him and try to talk to him." Ruby suggested. "It could be serious."

"Aww, is my baby sis worried for her crush" Yang teased, trying and failing to uplift the atmosphere.

"YANG!" Ruby shouted, blushing in embarrassment. "Now is NOT the time." "Yes, Yang" Pyrrha narrowed her eyes. "Now is certainly not the time."

Weiss, after finishing her food asked, "Why are you still worrying over that useless dunce?" (AN. Just a pocket of love, she is)

"Hey ice bitch," Weiss looked affronted at Nora "our fearless leader is not useless, he's real smart and he's getting better from Pyrrha's teachings and MY training regime." Nora glared harder at her for insinuating that her training wasn't up to snuff.

Weiss was about to retort when suddenly a large, green, swirling portal appeared overhead, and soon gravity started picking up the group and sucked them to the portal. Yang, before leaving this dimension, said "Oh man, this sssuuuuu-". Thankfully, the portal closed before Yang could finish her pun. Around the world, identical portals began opening, taking its intended passengers, then closing back up, leaving none the wiser.

**In a sub-dimension**

In a separate plain of existence, there exists a room about the size of a very large library which goes on for miles, and bookshelves piled high into the ceiling. Instead of being filled with books however, they were filled with what look like balls, floating in place, made of a purple, blue or red crystal-like substance and glowing faintly inside with a hidden light. In place of some of the shelves, there were pedestals, some empty others filled with weapons, clothing, and other interesting devices.

In one part of the room, there is a large plasma screen that is simply floating in midair, and many comfy chairs and couches surrounding it. Two more bookshelves surround the tv on either side and are currently empty. Providing the room with somewhat bright light are different colored orbs hovering in the ceiling, since only one color would make the eyes hurt, and we can't have that.

In one of the couches, a man was currently working on his tablet-like device. He was about 5'9" in height, skinny with some decent muscle on him, and light skinned with short blond hair. His eyes were a normal white sclera and black pupil but what also look like semi-dull, lightly spinning sapphires for irises. For clothes he wore a plain white t-shirt with what looks like a metal ring printed on with a thin, dark grey overcoat over that, covering up a pistol with a slightly glowing crystal in the back end, and having armored shoulder and elbow-guards on top. Thin, fingerless black gloves with armor on the back covers his hands, dark blue jeans with armored knee-pads, and lastly, he wore long black boots that goes over his pants and ends short of his knees with a solid armored plate on the front.

As he was working, he had looked to his right, a glowing orb of purple crystal next to him, then to the clock installed on his tablet, 'Hmm, I wonder when the time is right to return this. Ah well'. Finishing his work, he tossed the tablet away, watching it disappear in a blue light, and after placing the orb in one of the shelves, decided to take a nap. He was in the middle of driving a green rocket ship in space when a portal like the ones before opened on top of him. Soon screaming was heard before multiple bodies fell out, waking him up, and landed right on top of him, shattering the couch and knocking him back out.

"Oh, my head" Yang groaned.

"Yaang, get your butt off of me." Ruby wheezed.

"Sorry Rubes"

"Ugh, where are we?" Blake asked, looking around trying to find her scroll which dropped out her pocket when landing. "Ow, my head." Oh, never mind, Weiss found it, 'Serves you right'.

"Ow, my ears." Velvet moaned since she didn't land right and painfully folded them, and getting help to stand up by her team leader.

"Where are we sir?" Glynda asked after getting up and looked around. "I don't know Glynda" Ozpin replied, marveling at the orbs on the ceiling along with Port and Oobleck.

"Schnee, Polendina, are you both alright?" General Ironwood asked. "Yes sir." "I'm operating at 100% efficiency, general."

"Ah be quiet, you're ruining my buzz" a dusty old crow staggered up. "Silence drunkard!" Winter reprimanded.

Ruby ran to her uncle when she saw him "Uncle Qrow!" she yelled happily while grabbing his arm "It's so good to see you, did you miss me, huh huh huh?!" Qrow just smirked and patted her head with his free arm "Nope." Weiss was always happy to see her older sister and promptly greeted her, "Hello Winter, it's good to see you." Winter turned away from the drunk, and smiled thinly at her beloved little sister, "Hello sister, it is wonderful to see you as well. We have must catch up on."

"Where am I?" Taiyang mumbled, then when looking at his family, went to them to catch up.

Off to the side, a woman with a Grimm helmet and samurai armor stood off to the shadows with her trusted second.

"Mercury, get off." Emerald growled out. "Alright, alright, don't get your panties in a bunch." Mercury said. "Both of you enough, you're getting on my last nerve" Cinder said. "Sorry/Yes ma'am." they both said. Nearby, a walking ice cream cone was silently snickering while trying to get a certain man with a cane to stand up.

When Ozpin got tired of looking at the ceiling, he looked back down while drinking from his mug, only to choke and pale once he noticed Salem and her dark circle getting up as well, with said Grimm queen glaring back at him.

"Wait a moment. If we're all here, wherever 'here' is, then where's Jaune!?" Pyrrha shouted, seeing her friends but no Jaune, looking around for a familiar mop of golden hair.

"Fearless leader!?" Nora exclaimed, doing the same as her teammate. Ren simply stayed quiet as he too looked around for their brother.

Once the adults of the two factions noticed each other, glares and tensions of muscles were tossed around and were preparing to fight, but before anything escalated, a noise from someone unfamiliar to anyone was heard. Said man started to wake back up and groaned in pain. Everyone was startled and most jumped back to gain some distance to see the person clearer while pointing their weapons at him.

When the man picked himself up, he first dusted himself off, thinking 'what the fuck fell on me?' After he got the last of the wood chippings out of his ass, he looked up to see what was going on, most of the women gasping at the difference of his eyes and some noticing how disoriented he looked, and when his vision cleared up, he stiffened a bit once he noticed just who was here.

"Oh." He started to pale a bit, more so when he saw some of the people recovered from their shock and were pointing their weapons at him. "Shit."

"Who are you!" Glynda demanded, worried if this stranger was a danger to her students. The man simply closed his eyes, brought his right hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose, and took a deep breath to calm himself down. After he did that, he raised his left hand and with a snap of his fingers had every weapon burst into smoke (AN. bubbles are better). A few exclaimed in surprise when they saw that happen, some more than others ("My baby, nooo!"), and the man opened his eyes.

"How did you people get here?" He asked while bringing back his discarded tablet, startling a few. "Know what, never mind, I'll get to the bottom of this mess myself." he then started to type up command on his tablet, trying to get a reading of what was going on.

"Excuse me mister..." Penny said, trying to get a name. "G1742-J4-CK35, but you can call me Jack." 'Jack' answered absentmindedly.

"Ok." Yang mumbled.

"Who or what are you." Penny continued.

James hummed in concentration "Well. I, and my race for that matter, are what you could call gods."

Some were a bit hesitant from that reveal, other were skeptical, others in fear.

"Um, s-so where are we M-Mr. Jack?" Ruby stuttered.

"You are in the 'Entremedias', or 'In Between', Ms. Rose, a Nexus Point within the multiverse." Jack explained, putting down his tablet once he read why this happened, and spreading his arms outwards to explain properly.

"Huh?" "What?" "Impossible!" confusion and disbelief were prevalent in the group. Jack nodded along "Yep. As a matter of fact, this place is one that categorizes and stores different universes based around a certain blond friend of yours."

"Really?!" "No way!" "Who?"

Jack just nodded. "Yep, yes way, and this whole area is focused on one Jaune Arc in that order."

Weiss, who stared in disbelief, rolled her eyes and scoffed, "Oh please, how is that dunce so important, and for that matter why waste the space?"

Jack narrowed his eyes and suddenly the room started to shake, and a heavy pressure settled onto the people's shoulders, causing them to kneel or flat-out crash into the ground from the increase in gravity.

"I would kindly suggest that you shut your trap. You don't know anything about that young man, what he went through!" Jack was pissed off at this little brat, waste of space? Him!? Oh no, that shit won't fly, mon senior.

Ozpin struggled to an upright position, his cane helped, and tried to diffuse the situation and not see one of his students die in a gruesome manner. "Alright, I believe that we got off on the wrong foot, let's all calm down." he barely lifted an arm in a peaceful gesture. Soon the pressure lifted, and everyone breathed a bit easier.

"Yes, you are right Ozma," Ozpin and Salem stiffened at that while the others were left confused "I apologize everyone, for my actions. It is just that Mr. Arc is too important a figure within the multiverse, and I've seen plenty of people try to beat him down. He is very important to how your world, every world, is claimed for the forces of good and evil. Life or death, it all depends on him, his life leaves a great impact on the multiverse."

A lot of people were blown away from how important this boy was to the multiverse, many already planning on how to use this boy for their own gains. Goodwitch spoke up, trying to get that out of her mind to focus on what she feels is more important "Not that all this is not important, but is there a way for you to send us back?" She really wants to go home, with her students safe and out of danger *cough*Salem*cough*.

*sigh*"I'm not sure," Jack shook his head "the method in which you arrived in was something I hadn't seen before, but whoever sent you, another of my kind no doubt, had apparently decided that it was imperative that you be here" he explained, causing everyone to feel anxious. "Or maybe they did it because they were just bored, I don't know" he shrugged, and a few face-planted at that.

He then remembered something else and addressed it, so it wouldn't be a problem later.

"Now before I forget, snacks and drinks are permitted here. You just need to ask for something at they will appear in floating trays, and in your preferred amount."

Everyone was surprised, they forgot that since they are in a what is essentially a library, that food may not be present here. Ruby and Nora were first, asking for cookies and pancakes respectively, which promptly showed up in quick order on silver platters, all nice and freshly made. They squealed in joy and dug right in. Everyone saw what happened and immediately asked for their preferred items.

Once everyone got what they wanted, the god looked at his pris-guests, guests, to see if they were ready. Once he saw that they were, he said "Good. Now back to the point of why you are here."

"Well," Ruby looked around "if we were meant to be here, then it's our duty to see this through, for the future of our world."

"Well said, Ms. Rose." Ozpin complimented. Yang rubbed Ruby's head in affection, making her blush a bit from the positive affection.

"Alright then," Jack pumped himself up.

"let's get this show on the road." he rubbed his palms together. "Now then, in order for you guys to feel safe within my realm, I temporarily shut down any and all powers you may have." He paused for a bit so that those who voiced their displeasure over that decree calmed down.

"If you'd look around, you'll see the different-colored orbs and pedestals," several took a better look of what they were/held. "Each of those orbs contain the doorway into a universe, and the screen over there lets us see them with no problem. The different colors represent the theme: Blue represent good/light, Red are dark/evil, and Purple make up possible futures in your own universe (AN: yeah, that last one is mostly romantic ones). The pedestals on the other hand holds weapons, armor, or items that the blond noodle holds deeply in his heart in the viewings. Another reason why your powers are locked, wouldn't want some of these bad boys to create a mess, mostly out of you."

While they were curious about some of the colored orbs, and some afraid of what some of the weapons might do, those who knew Jaune were skeptical of the Red's purpose, they could never see him as a dark or evil person.

Yang scoffed, "Oh please, there is no way that vomit boy could ever be bad as you say." Her friends nodded.

Jack smirked at her "Oh yeah?" He took a Red out of random. "Well, let's put that to the test then." He walked over to the screen and knelt a bit to the little rectangular hole in center bottom and inserted the book. He stood back up and faced the group, who were now pulling up chairs and couches to sit down on: the students in the right, the adults in the center (Raven and Vernal had finally revealed themselves at that point, startling quite a few people, especially Tai and Yang once she removed her helmet), and those labeled as 'evil' sat in the far left and away from the students because they were forced to sit there, thus revealing their true loyalties.

Jack smirked at them as the ceiling lights dimmed, creating a shadow over the top part of his face and unnerving a few in the audience as he sits down on his new seat, in between the audience and the screen. He chuckled as he saw some of them freak out a bit, he tilted his head to the right. "Why so serious?"

**END**

**So, what'd you think of my prologue? Took a while to put this up, the instructions were a bit tricky at first. I'll try to do stuff that other people haven't tried yet or mix up characters if I can't and like them too much to ignore.**

**Also, I know that this is overdone a bit, but can you think of a more twisted way to start things off? The next chapter will be out in a day or two, still need to proofread it.**

**One last thing, this will eventually be a crossover, but that will not appear until much later, however some of the ideas I have for them are in Easter eggs that I placed here, some more obvious than others.**

**Anyway, R&R and hope to see you soon in the next chapter of: "Jaune: Center of the Multiverse"!**


	2. Why So Serious? Pt 1

**Wow, 6 reviews 28 followers , and over 300 views already, I don't think it's been more than a couple hours. You know what, screw my schedule. For all the loves, I give to you guys my first chapter. Enjoy.**

** .johns****:** **I never thought of that to be honest, I just put together random numbers together but it's so simple now that you pointed that out; I honestly laughed of a bit when you made me realize that. Yes to the first because he's badass, not familiar with the second or third so sorry I can't, and I think someone else is working the fourth, but I'll do it anyway since I love that part.**

**PhazonLordKaito****: Already in the works my friend, already in the works; but you may need to wait for a bit since this one needs to be revealed just right.**

**Chapter 1: "Why So Serious?" Pt. 1**

**Disclaimer in the prologue.**

**The screen opens to a bright and sunny day over the city of Vale. It then closes in on an office building's large window as it shatters. Two men with clown masks are seen. One of them fires a cable across the street, and once the line is secured, the two slide across and lands on the lower roof across the street. The screen then cuts to a man standing on the corner with his back to the audience, holding another clown mask. A car pulls up and the man gets in, putting on his mask as he enters. Inside the car, two more men are wearing masks. The driver tells the crew in a familiar, yet annoying voice.**

"**Three of a kind. Let's go."**

"Wait, is that Cardin!?" Yang exclaimed, eyes flashing red in response to her irritation. "Hmph, well that doesn't surprise me." Weiss said, putting down her drink and crossing her arms in frustration at seeing that buffoon. Blake, Velvet, and Coco just narrowed their eyes at the racist bully.

**The second Clown looks up from loading his automatic weapon and realizes something. "That's it? Three guys?" he asks, sounding like Russel, much to the audience's further annoyance. Cardin reassures his buddy, "There's two on the roof. Every guy is an extra share. Five shares: plenty". "Six shares. Don't forget the guy who planned the job." Russel reminds him.**

**Cardin scoffs, "Yeah? He thinks he can sit it out and still take a slice. Heh, now I get why they call him the Joker". He cocks his weapon. The third clown pulls the car over in front of the Vale's First National Bank.**

"So, CRDL's robbing a bank?" Ruby asks, munching on her popcorn after she ran out of cookies and Weiss refusing to let her eat more ("Those pastries will rot your teeth and stunt your growth." "Blasphemy!"). "It would seem so, Ms. Rose" Ozpin answers her, he and the rest of the professors watching in disappointment at what their students are doing.

**Back on the roof, one clown pries open an access panel. "So why do they call him the Joker?" he asks his partner, revealing it to be Dove. "I heard he wears make-up." He replied, it being Sky, thus completing the gallery of idiots. "Make-up?" Dove asks. Sky, pulling out some thick cables, explains, "Yeah, to scare people. You know, like war paint." Cut to inside, we see Cardin, Russel, and the third still unidentified clown get out of the car and march into the bank with guns.**

*Whistle* "That's some serious heat they're packing" Mercury observes. Roman nods his head.

**Inside, one of the security guards look up, just as Cardin fired his weapon into the ceiling. Customers scream, and Russel hits one of the security guards in the head. As Cardin and the third guy rounds up the hostages, one of the tellers presses the silent alarm button beneath her window before being yanked from her station by the unknown clown.**

"Seriously, who is that guy?" Nora asks, tilting her head and narrowing her eyes. "Those poor people" Pyrrha said as Velvet lowers her rabbit ears in sadness.

"Don't worry guys, I'm sure someone will help them" Ruby, bless her heart, tried to keep their spirits up.

**Back on the roof, Sky watches the alarm ping on his scroll. "Here comes the silent alarm. (touches a button) And there it goes. Huh, that's funny. It didn't dial the police, it was trying to reach a private number." Behind him, Dove asks "Is that a problem?" Sky shakes his head, "Nah, I'm done." A silenced bang is heard and Sky slumps to the ground, revealing Dove holding a silenced pistol.**

Most of them jump a bit in their seats, not expecting the team kill. Those from Beacon are shocked "Holy shit, he killed Sky!" Coco shouted in surprise "Ms. Adel, please reframe from using such language" Goodwitch said, glaring a bit at the fashionista, earning a mumbled apology. Ruby and Pyrrha look a bit green from seeing their fellow student's death, while Cinder and Raven nod their heads in approval. 'Once a pawn is no longer needed, they must be disposed of.' (AN. cold-hearted bitches)

"Interesting strategy" Torchwick says, Neo nodding along in agreement "It makes sense though, fewer people means a bigger cut. I might use this" he continues with his analysis, unknowingly agreeing with the raven and fire bitch, and earning a lot of glares from the good guys.

"How?!" Yang was shocked at this. "How did a single bullet take him out?"

"Oh, didn't I mention that? Whoops." Jack said, a bit embarrassed from all the unwanted gazes. "In this universe: Aura, as well as Grimm and Dust are not a thing" That caused many to shout their disbelief.

"That's impossible" Weiss was one of the more vocal in her denial, "Aura and Dust are integral to everyday life" everyone nodded along, though many were happy that the Grimm didn't plague this world, 'Lucky bastards'.

Jack just nodded, "In YOUR world, yes" he emphasized, "But in different universes, yeah those work on different rules."

**Dove picks up his bag and opens the roof access door and speeds down the stairs, to the basement. He opens the door and comes face to face with a huge vault. The unknown clown and Cardin move down the line of hostages and they start handing each hostage a grenade, to the disgust of the good guys. The screen temporarily enters the bank manager's office. Cardin says while the two are pulling the pins out with a smug tone, "Ok, so obviously we don't want you doing anything with your hands, except maybe holding on for dear life". The manager takes something out from under his desk showing his face to the audience.**

"HAHAHAHAHA" Emerald laughs uncontrollably while Mercury looks on with shock clear in his face at seeing who it was.

***BLAM* a shot rang out as Russel is blown away, causing many of the students to wince, and showing Mercury with a shotgun in his hands, anger clear on his face. Cardin and the other guy dove for cover, and Mercury steps out of his office, gun in hand. The hostages scream, still holding on to their grenades for dear life. In the vault room, Dove is shown putting a drill to the vault. He spins the bit and slides into the metal door, but a massive electric shock rips through the drill, launching his body back, shocking some of the audience (AN. See what I did there?) and getting a few laughs from some of the less mature in the group ("Hah, that's what you get you jerk!" "Miss. Valkyrie get down from your seat"). In the lobby, Cardin and the other guy are seen cowering and moving to other places to hide as Mercury continues to fire,** **"Dead! You have any idea who you're stealing from? You and your friends are dead!"**

"Hmm, I wonder who you're working for in this universe?" Cinder asks while staring intently at the peg-legged assassin. Mercury just looks onwards, squirming and sweating a bit, much to Cinder's and Emerald's amusement.

**Cardin asks, "He's out right?" The guy looks up for a moment in thought, then nods back. Cardin jumps out of cover to fire, but Mercury has the quicker trigger finger and shoots first, proving that only Archer and Deadpool can count. Cardin grunts as a buckshot clips his shoulder and falls back down on his ass. Mercury pumps his weapon, but it gets jammed. The clown gets up and shoots him in the legs, causing him to collapse.**

Mercury groaned at that. 'Seriously? Another universe, and I can't use my legs for more than 5 minutes?' Emerald was giggling to herself, happy at seeing her 'partner' looking so angry.

**Cardin gets back up while feeling his new injury "Where'd you learn to count?!", then he heads to the back.**

**We now see Dove at the vault door again, this time barefoot, and turning the tumblers with his hands stuffed into his shoes. Cardin walks in, and Dove remarks on the safety features "They wired this thing up with like 5,000 volts. What kind of bank does that?" Cardin replies "A mob bank. Guess the Joker's as crazy as they say." Dove shrugs, then grips the wheel and spins it, signifying his job's completion. Cardin looks around "Where's the alarm guy?" Dove shrugs again and said "Boss told me when the guy was done I should take him out. One less share, right?"**

Torchwick, after hearing the explanation, claps his hands along with Neo, both smirking devilishly. "Hehe, now I definitely want to use that plan". The students look to them in horror/disgust. "Why would you do that, is there no honor among thieves?" Ruby yells with disgust clear in her eyes. Torchwick just grins and points to her "Look at that, you're finally getting it Lil' Red." "Stop calling me that!"

"**Funny, he told me something similar" Cardin remarks coldly. His sentence caused many in the audience to freeze up in realization. Dove does as well "Wait n-" *BANG*. Dove collapsed dead, and Cardin steps over his corpse and into the vault.**

*Blarg* Ruby couldn't handle it anymore and threw up. The teachers looked on in alarm as another member of CRDL was killed by one of their own. Jack just sighs and snapped his fingers, making the vomit disappear.

**Inside the vault, we see veritable mountains of lien. Cardin walks in, and starts taking all that he could carry, causing many of the thieves in the audience to salivate at the fortune they're seeing. Cardin then comes back to the lobby, straining under several duffel bags filled to the brim with cash. He dumps them into the growing pile at the floor near the main entrance.**

**Cardin, slightly winded from the workout he received, said "You know, if this guy was so smart he would have had us bring a bigger car." He then points his gun at the remaining clown's back. He then said, "I'm betting the Joker told you to kill me as soon as we loaded the cash." As he said this, his arm visibly shakes a bit.**

"Seriously!?" Yang shouted, earning a glare from Glynda. Blake shakes her head, glaring at the screen "Despicable, another play to get more money." Emerald quickly denies it "No, he is just paranoid." This earns a couple of stares. "Think about it, this guy was ordered to kill the safecracker, only to find out that HE killed one of their teammates earlier, and for the same exact reason. Anyone would be paranoid after that." She explained, earning a few nods from the thieves.

"I would too" Torchwick reluctantly admits, "All that money, but our guys' dropping left and right?" He shakes his head, "I wouldn't be taking any chances."

**The clown shakes his head and sighs as he starts moving to the side, "No. I kill the bus driver." His voice, while muffled, does have a few people wondering where they heard that voice before. Cardin just looks confused even through the mask. "Bus driver? What bus dri-" *SMASH* the tail end of a school bus bursts through the entrance, scaring a few people at the jump scare, and slamming Cardin into the money pile. The guy picks up Cardin's weapon, he won't be needing anymore. Another clown opens the rear door of the bus, "School's out, time to go." He looks at the corpse of Cardin, and chuckles a bit, "guy's not getting back up, is he?" his voice, in an amused tone is immediately recognized by a few in the audience.**

"Tai/Dad?!" many who knew him shouts out, Raven raised an eyebrow at seeing (well hearing) her ex there, as a robber no less. The father and sisters looked horrified that he is a thief. The teachers were numb at seeing one of their own wrapped up in this mess. The rest are either indifferent over the revelation, or just concerned for their friends.

**Tai helps the last clown put in the lien into the bus. "That's a lot of money" he noticed. Once the last of them are in, Tai looks around confused "Hey man, where's the rest of the crew?" The clown in response shoots him in the chest. He died instantly.**

"NOO!" Yang and Ruby cried out as they see their dad gunned down mercilessly. The concern mentioned before sky-rocketed by what happened. Glynda covers her mouth in horror, and Ozpin squeezes his mug, causing hairline cracks to appear. The students look on in sadness for the sisters, even Raven looks sad for a split second before putting up her mask of indifference, not allowing anyone see her moment of weakness. Tai and Qrow hug their crying family close while whispering reassurances.

**The last clown looks around, sees the last bag of money, and drags it towards the bus ("I'm going to murder that monster!" "Ms. Xiao Long!"). He then loads it inside, all while Mercury watches him. In the distance sirens are heard. Mercury coughs for a bit then says "Think you're smart, huh? The guy who hired you is just going to do the same. You know that, right?" The clown, after putting the last bag inside, slowly walks back towards the injured man. "Oh, criminals in this town used to believe in things... Honor. Respect. Look at you… what do you believe, huh? What do you believe in?!" The man crouches over him and slides a grenade into the man's mouth as he yelled the last word. He then states, "I believe that what doesn't kill you simply makes you..." He pulls off his mask, and Mercury, as well as the audience finally sees what he looks like.**

Loud gasps and shouts of denial are spoken "NO WAY!", "Impossible!" Pyrrha's however are heard over the rest in sheer despair "Jaune?!"

**It is Jaune Arc, however to everyone's horror, his mouth is scarred in a permanent, nightmarish smile while wearing white clown makeup over most of his face, with black surrounding his eyes. His hair is dyed green but with a few strands showing his original hair color, and when he smiled, his teeth are a yellow color, "…Stranger". This is the Joker.**

Everyone from Beacon look on in in fear at what his friend/student turned out like. "His eyes" Ozpin noticed, 'his eyes show nothing but madness'. He was not the only one to noticed this. Cinder smirks 'Well, this just got interesting'. Raven was having similar thoughts but still glared at him a bit since he killed Tai. The teachers bowed their heads, not wanting to see what was going to happen next. Yang and Nora are shaking their heads in disbelief, Weiss covered her mouth in shock at seeing the buffoon like this. Ruby, Velvet, and Pyrrha are crying at seeing their crush look so deformed, and Ren is trying to keep his calm while clenching his fists.

Coco, while horrified like the rest, couldn't help but be disgusted by what he was wearing, 'Ugh, where did get his outfit, the dump?' The various tears and small holes just lead credence to what she is thinking. Velvet saw the face her partner was wearing out of the corner of her eye and was a bit annoyed, all too used to her antics by now.

Salem looked at the man on screen and smirked while taking a sip from her wine glass that she ordered 'Interesting.'

Tyrian was smiling like the Joker 'He looks so cool!', Hazel and Watts were simply annoyed that Tyrian was looking forward to seeing a potential playmate.

**Mercury's eyes go wide at seeing what laid behind the mask. The Joker gets back up, and strolls towards the bus, a purple thread is seen attached to his jacket. He climbs into the bus and shuts the rear door, trapping the string. The camera pans back to the injured bank manager and the audience sees the other end of the string is attached to the grenade pin, causing many eyes to widen. The bus then begins to move out the lobby.**

"Wait how is he going to escape in that?" Emerald asks, many of the criminals nodding at her question, not knowing what the answer was.

**As the bus pulls out, the pin is pulled, and Mercury's eyes (here and in the audience) became wide and was shaking in fear as to what would undoubtably happen next, much to Emerald's amusement. However, much to their shock the grenade didn't explode, but instead just spewed yellow smoke, showing it to be a gas grenade. Mercury, realizing what happened, pissed himself and fully collapsed, unconscious.**

In the theater, loud laughter from Emerald, Roman, Yang, Nora, Qrow, and a few other could be heard. Neo was silently laughing, Cinder was giggling, Tyrian was standing up and giving an ovation while cackling like the demented psycho he is. The rest were smiling a bit, but for different reasons. To the good guys, they didn't get to see a man's head explode. The villains on the other hand were amused at how the smug assassin pissed his pants, taking him down a peg or two.

Said assassin was blushing in embarrassment though "Hey shut up! Let's see any of you have a grenade shoved in your mouth, see how you'd like it!"

**The bus pulls out into the open, showing a long line of other school buses (Emerald: "Oh, so that's how"). The School Bus slides into the line of identical buses heading away from the bank, all the while cop cars are seen racing down the street.**

**The next scene plays, showing a night view of Vale. From the top of a brick building a beam of light comes on. A patrolman looks up at the bat-signal and smiles, earning a few raised eyebrows from the more law-abiding audience members. A dealer is standing beside a car and spots the signal. He steps back and walks away, "No, man. I don't like it tonight." The buyer doesn't like what he heard, "What're you, superstitious? You got a better chance of winning the lottery than running into him!"**

Many are intrigued at what they're seeing, a certain cat is more attentive at the mystery that was presented to her, 'why are these criminals so afraid?'

**We cut to the inside of the Vale's Police Department, where detective Blake is seen making **

**coffee, watching a news show on the television and cat ears proudly on display ("looking good kitty cat" "YANG!"). She sees the host, Lisa Lavender, talking to the mayor. "**_**Mr. Mayor, you were elected on a campaign to clean up the city... when are you going to start?**_**"**

**The mayor, one Peter Port tries to explain "**_**Well, Lisa**_**-", but she cuts him off. "**_**Like this so-called Batman. A lot of people say he's doing some good and that criminals are running scared. That's he's a hero, but what kind of hero needs to wear a mask? You don't let vigilantes run around breaking the law, and yet, we hear rumors that instead of trying to arrest him the cops are using him to do their dirty work**_**."**

"Oh Monty, Professor Port as Mayor" Yang whispers to her sister, "You think he'll be more interesting, or do I need to get a pillow?" causing her to giggle quietly, succeeding in taking her mind off the death scene with their dad.

Many from Beacon are, apprehensive, of Port being in such a high position of authority. "Wait, that walking pile of fat's in charge?" Mercury asks, only to get food tossed at him from the other students, and glares from the teachers.

**Peter tries to reassure her "**_**I'm told our men in the Major Crimes Unit are close to an arrest**_**." Blake smirks and looks back to her partner, "Hey, Adam. The Mayor says you're closing in on the Batman." Adam looks up, and answers while crumpling up a piece of paper, "The investigation is ongoing." He throws the paper at the trash. It rebounds off a board headed 'Batman Suspects', lined with pictures of Miles Luna, Casey Lee Williams, and a tall, hairy creature with a belt of some kind hung over its right shoulder and going to his left hip (1).**

Many were confused as to who those people were, while those who knew Adam had mixed reactions. Blake, who before was still shocked that her secret was out, was now wide-eyed at seeing her psychotic ex as a cop, CMEN and Roman were shocked seeing the radical nutjob as an officer of the law. Yang saw her partner's reaction but kept it to herself, wanting to talk later.

Winter and James, being firm believers in justice, do not like how a police officer is not doing his job to arrest this vigilante and are looking in disapproval.

**On the roof, Blake comes out with two cups of coffee and walks to her boss, Lieutenant Ozpin who, as is custom here, is near the signal. She hands Oz the spare cup and says, "Ever planning on seeing your wife again, Lieutenant?" He responds, with a small smile "I thought you had to go look after your mother, detective?" Blake sighs "They checked her back into hospital."**

"Mom?" Blake was worried, 'Mom what happened?' Yang reached over and hugged her, "It's ok, partner", their teammates went over to give their assurances as well. Winter looks over to see what her sister is doing, 'She has good friends' she smiles and looks back to the screen. Yang, trying to lift the mood, leans back and smiles "I'm sure she'll be fe-line". Blake groans at the terrible pun, "Damn it Yang" she bows her head, not wanting to let others see the small smile she has.

Meanwhile, Ozpin in shocked that he's married in this universe, 'Is it her?' He is worried, and a bit hopeful, at what the answer might be. Qrow smirks at the news "Heh, I wonder who the lucky lady is?" he tries to bait his boss, but Oz was too deep in thought to register what was being said. Salem merely narrows her eyes at the news.

"**I'm sorry." She shrugs, "Least there she's got someone round the clock. Unlike your wife." ("Oh snap!" "NORA!"). She looks at the bat-signal, "He hasn't shown up yet?" Ozpin looks up to the sky, at the signal. "Often doesn't, but I like reminding everybody that he's out there." She watches her boss in confusion, "Why wouldn't he come?" He looks back, smiling at her, "Hopefully... Because he's busy."**

"Hmm" Ozpin seems to have gotten out of his inner thoughts and is now viewing the screen in concentration "What is it, sir?" Glynda asks, wanting to know what her friend is thinking. "It's nothing, I'm just intrigued at who our mystery man is" Ozpin brushes off the concern.

**In a parking garage, we see two black SUV's pulled up in the top floor right next to a battered, white van (Ruby: "Stranger danger!"). A tall man emerges, a man that is holding his trademarked cane and cigar, the crime boss, Roman Torchwick.**

"TORCHWICK?!" The students yell out, not expecting that. "Hoho, well now, looking good" Roman says, seeing his counterpart in his traditional clothes, while Neo rolls her eyes. "I finally get some screen time, and it looks like I'm a big deal here, as it should be." He just continues to stroke his own ego (AN. Well, at least someone has to do it. "Hey that hurts").

Cinder was unimpressed.

"Oh please" she remarked, causing him to look at her. "I bet you are just a middle man to the REAL one in charge" the way she put emphasis to that word caused Roman and Neo to shutter a bit, and Emerald and Mercury to squirm in their seats. Several in the room noticed this and were curious as to why (AN. Hey, just because they know that they're evil, doesn't mean they know why).

**A bodyguard points at the sky. Roman looks up at the bat-signal and just shrugs it off. "That's why we bring dogs" he points out to the useless, in his opinion, goon. Another man opens the back door, and three enormous rottweilers emerge, growling.**

Back in the audience, Blake curls up into a ball in fear, much to her teammates' amusement.

**The crime lord crouches and kisses his 'loyal' dogs on their heads "My little princes..." He looks to his men. "The Batman's invisible to you idiots, but my little princes here, they can find human meat in complete darkness." He proclaims proudly as he moves to the second car, reaches in and drags out a skinny, wild-eyed junkie by his hair. Said man is babbling in fear, "No…get 'em off…Get 'em off me!" those were the only words that could be heard.**

"That poor man" Pyrrha looked sad at what must have happened to him.

"What did you do to that guy, you maniac!" Yang on the other hand was pissed at how jumpy the guy looked and was glaring red eyes at the master thief. "What, I didn't do anything." Said thief points out, raising his hands up, "That me did." That last part didn't help Yang's temper.

**Roman drags the man towards the shitty van. The rear doors open, and two armed thugs emerge, carrying guns, while a third one hovers inside the darkened interior. Roman yells "Look! Look what your drugs did to my customers!"**

That had many in the audience confused, many thought that he was the reason for that guys situation, while the man in question just put his hands behind his head and smugly stared at the blond firecracker.

**The guy still left in the van said "Buyer beware..." He steps out, revealing a rather tall, yet skinny man in a dark gray suit with a sack over his head. "I told your guy that my stuff would take you places. I never once said they'd be places you wanted to go."**

The voice again sounded very familiar to few people, but they didn't want to think as to who that person might be. They were still haunted by what happened before.

**Roman just glares at him. He noticed this and shrugs nonchalantly "If you don't like what I have to offer, you can always just buy from someone else. That's assuming He left anyone to buy from." The glare deepens. Suddenly, his dogs start barking.**

**One of the bodyguards start to get nervous, while turning the safety off his gun "He's here." One of the thugs, who was far from the main groups, suddenly was sucked into the darkness. In his place a shadow straightens out, revealing pointed ears like a cat or a bat in the limited night light. Roman saw what happened and says "My dogs. Are. Hungry! A pity that there's only one of you..." As if the universe wanted to prove him wrong, one of his men to his right disappears without a sound, and a second shadow took his place. Roman now looks worried.**

The students looked happy that Roman was wrong, and cheered that soon, he'll get the asskicking that he deserves. Roman just looked as concerned as his double along with Neo, both noticing that she isn't there to bail him out.

**Three more bat-shadows appear, much to Roman's growing concern, even the dogs stop growling. Suddenly *BOOM*, a hole erupted from the SUV next to the crime boss. The first bat-shadow steps into the light carrying a shotgun. Men scatter, and gunfire erupts on the roof floor. Roma turns as he hears one of his men screams and shouts "Loose the dogs!" A guard releases the dogs, and they race, barking all the while, towards a shadow. The first dog leaps and starts to maul on one of the bat-shadows.**

**Scarecrow ducks behind the van, holes continue to be punched in the side by shotgun blasts. He starts to climb into the driver's seat, but the muzzle of a gun gets pressed to the back of his head. A bat-shadow is seen behind him, but the guy just turns around and sprays with fear toxin that was hidden beneath his clothes. The shadow collapses to the ground, screaming his head off. He looks around and notices that these guys are all carrying firearms. "These guys aren't Him."**

That raised a few brows.

"How does he know that none of them are the real vigilante?" Winter asks Jack wondering how he knew that. He just replies with "Don't worry, it'll be explained soon enough." Winter glares at him, not accepting that answer, but looks back to the screen.

**He whispers, "He doesn't use guns."**

Many were surprised, "Wait, so you mean to tell me that the only reason he knows is because the guy doesn't shoot people?" Coco asks incredulously. Jack nods and says "Yep." A few in the audience respected his commitment. James and Winter were surprised, they didn't know that the man had such a high moral compass, having to deal with many vigilantes over the course of their careers.

**On a nearby edge, a black shape slams down, crushing a few parked cars (Mercury: "Oops"). The debris field from the crash lowers down and reveals one of the most iconic vehicles in history: The Batmobile.**

**Scarecrow just replies in a deadpan voice "That's more like it."**

Everyone was impressed with this new beast of a car. "OHMYGOSHTHAT'SSOCOOL!" Nora and Ruby shout in awe. Yang wanted to drive in it, Blake appreciated the color, Cinder and Raven loved how intimidating it looked, and the adults were analyzing the makeup of the vehicle. Glynda remarks "Hmm, the vehicle looks more like a scaled down version of a tank."

James nods, "I agree, the front armor looks tough enough to take on small-arms fire with little difficulty from what we saw; it broke through the concrete barrier without sustaining any noticeable damage. The front tires meanwhile, seem to have a checkerboard design, probably meant for a superior grip. Can't see much from the back however", looking to his subordinate, he orders "Winter, make a note on how this vehicle operates, it may prove beneficial to our forces." Winter salutes "Yes Sir." And takes out a notebook and pen.

Everyone else who was in hearing distance, and knew how the General operates, just roll their eyes.

Salem merely ordered Watts to do the same, both wanting the vehicle for her forces, and because a small part her really wants to ride that thing.

**Roman's remaining men shoots at the front of the car: the bullets spark off its monstrous surface, proving James' theory. Inside the Batmobile, it shows that no one is inside it. One of the screens flashed green while it reads 'LOITER'. After the shooters stop to reload, the screen switches to 'INTIMIDATE'. The Batmobile seems to do nothing for a moment, and then *BOOM* The Batmobile's front autocannons blast cars all around the men, but never hitting them directly.**

The weapons' and explosives' nuts could only shake in bliss at the weapons it has and the amount of destruction it caused. James and Salem wanted that thing even more now, they didn't know it carried such powerful weapons on board!

**A bat-shadow lines up his shotgun on a running bodyguard, but a gauntlet grabs the barrel and bends it downwards with a squeal of agonizing metal. The guy holding the trigger looks to his side and sees the face of the Batman. The REAL Batman. The shadow stumbles back in terror, leaving the bent shotgun in Batman's hand. Batman releases his grip on the now useless weapon, bears down on the dogs mauling another shadow, and draws his grapple gun, shooting it at the fake's leg and rips him from the dogs, saving his life. One dog is persistent though and hangs on as Batman pulls the unconscious man away.**

**Roman runs down the ramp towards the exit as Batman kicks the dog off of the fake ("Doggy NO!"). He gets into his car, and another dog locks its jaws around Batman's forearm, trying to rip it off. Batman swings the dog over his head and smashes its body against the ground ("Take that you flea-ridden mutt!" "Blake why?!").**

**The Dark Knight rises (AN. hehe), and the van goes behind him. He can't turn in time and *BLAM*, he's slammed sideways by the speeding car. Inside the van, Scarecrow is driving and cheekily waves at him like he's just a simple passerby and hits the gas. Batman raises his hand and makes a saw blade come out of his palm and chops straight through the side door.**

**He pulls his hand out and chops again, but this time the thing gets stuck. Scarecrow steers towards a column. He can't free himself, so he turns a dial on his forearm, and explosive bolts blew, freeing his gauntlet. He drops from the van as it scrapes the column, barely missing him, and barrels down the circular exit ramp like a madman. He sees that he still has time to stop the escape, so he prepares to jump. A fake laying on the ground and watches as he climbs up to the edge of the ten-story corkscrew ramp and just stands there, waiting for something.**

The audience knows what he's planning on doing and are in disbelief that he would do something that crazy. 'Without Aura, he'll be lucky to still have feeling his legs afterwards.'

**After the moment passed, he jumps off and falls...ten stories... some of the audience covers their eyes, thinking that he'll go splat on the ground when suddenly the van appears. He slams onto the roof, crushing it under his weight, a bit hurt but miraculously alive.**

Cheers and sighs of relief are heard, the Schnee sisters even shout "Don't do something like that again you dunce!"

**Later we see Roman's men lined up against the wall, bound with zip-ties, but the man himself is gone like a cockroach fleeing from a boot. The fakes are also bound, showing how he thought of these pretenders. Batman dumps Scarecrow next to the three of the fakes, and rips his bag off, finally showing his face to be Qrow Branwen.**

"Uncle Qrow!?" Yang and Ruby shout in surprise at seeing their drunk uncle as a villain. The professors are bewildered by the reveal, unable to comprehend that "Well it makes sense, given the name" Jack says.

"What do you mean by that?" Qrow was so shocked that he dropped his favorite flask, while Winter just smirks at the drunken degenerate while sipping from a glass of sparkling water. Once he realized what he did, he picked up his flack and gently rocks it back and forth like it was his baby, and many either facepalm at the childish action or lean away from his actions. Ozpin shakes his head in disappointment from what his friend's doing while Salem smirks.

"Well, his villain is called Scarecrow." He explained. Yang and Tai laugh uncontrollably at the naming pun there, while Qrow looked unamused by the wordplay and just resumes watching the screen.

**One of the fakes yell out "We're trying to help you! Batman immediately debunks it "I don't need any help." His voice is so deep and gravelly that it's tough to make out what he said, or if his voice sounded familiar to any of them. Qrow smiles and says, "Not my diagnosis"**

"Ok, so what's he mean by THAT?" Qrow was still annoyed over his other's villain name, and the two blonds laughing at it, but he was curious as to why 'he' said that. "Oh, well in this universe you're a doctor here." Cue spit from Winter and Raven at the horrifying revelation, a smug grin from the bird-brain, and a sigh from Jack over the new mess he had to clean up. 'At least it's water instead of puke this time, small mercies I suppose.'

**The fake looked incredulity at him as he gets inside his vehicle. "What gives you the right?! What's makes you so special?!" As the Canopy hisses shut Batman says, "I'm not wearing hockey pads." ("BURN!" "Ms. Valkyrie, that's enough!") The fake looks down at his makeshift costume as the Batmobile roars past them and back into the night.**

**END**

**What do you think? Just over 6,000 words and I'm already beat. This is just part one, the next one will be coming out soon, until then, good night and leave a review.**

**1\. Jaune's voice actor, one of RWBY's singers, and if I need to point out the last one I'll be very disappointed in you all.**


	3. Why So Serious? Pt 2

**Chapter 2: "Why So Serious?" Pt. 2**

**More reviews! I'm so happy, keep up the love guys!**

**goetia923****: trust me, one of those suggestions are already in the works, just be patient.**

**JaCk-o'-LaNtErN 91****: Dude, it's like you read my mind. I didn't have her react too hard on the Joker so far simply because he was just robbing a bank, and I know that while she could be attracted to that, well by that token Roman would be her type too. Once he interacts with Gambit and the tape message though, expect major heart throbs there. Also, that never occurred to me before, but since I haven't started on that part yet, I can easily put them in. Great Idea.**

**InnocentSorow****: I'll see what I can do. I never actually saw the show myself, but I heard and read good things on it. Not too sure about turning him into a massive pervert the likes of Jiraiya though since I'm trying to get him a harem here, and perversion would no doubt scratch them off the list. Though I can only imagine how pissed off Weiss is going to be with the ridiculous measurements. Do you think I should have her as one of the more stacked characters to really mess with her head? Maybe put in her sister or mother?**

**jocoleman2017: So, do you want me to do the whole movie, or is there a specific scene from that movie/trilogy that you want me to do? I'm fine with either, I just want to know your preference.**

**hazeleyes180****: Thanks for the support, and don't worry. That scene is already done. Made me cry when I saw that, and I know it will make them too.**

**Disclaimer in the prologue.**

**Disclaimer in the prologue.**

**It's nighttime and Oz is seen trying to go through the gaggle of reporters outside Vale's bank as he makes his way inside the lobby. There he sees his forensics hard at work. Blake walks over him and hands him pictures taken from the surveillance cameras. "He can't resist showing us his face."**

**Ozpin looks at the grainy blow-up of the Joker's face, some sweat causing his clown makeup to run.**

A few in the audience shivered at the reminder of what their friend had become and what he'd done in this universe.

**He states "Put this out, by morning I want one over the central holding, selling tickets. What's he hiding under that makeup?" He asked as he approaches a forensic photographer over one of the clown's bodies. He crouches to look at his clown mask. Batman then steps out of nowhere ("How did he do that?!" "He's a witch!"). Oz nods at Blake. She then gives an order "Alright everyone, give us a minute. Please, people!" The forensics and Blake leaves as she glances back at the two.**

**Oz hands Batman the evidence of the Joker. "Him again. Who are the others?"**

"Again?" Ruby asks in fear, "so he's been doing this for a while?"

*sigh* "Unfortunately Ruby, Jaune's been doing this for months now" Jack explained, much to his friends' shock, and the criminals' admiration for being as successful as he was.

"We could use such a talented young man" Torchwick whispered to Neo, getting an enthusiastic nod in response.

**Oz replied, "Another bunch of small timers." (Tai: "What?! I was a small fry?!")**

**Batman pulls a devise from his belt of magical bullshit and moves to the bundles of cash scattered near the clown's body. The device pings. He then picks up a bundle and hands it to his friend. "Some of the marked bills I gave you."**

"**My detectives have been making drug buys with these for weeks. This bank was another drop for the mob. That makes five, we've found the bulk of their dirty cash." Batman nods and says "Time to move in." Ozpin waves the photo. "What about this Joker guy though?" Batman just looks at him, "One man or the entire mob? He can wait." Boy, won't that bite him in the ass later on.**

"He has a point" Ironwood said, "The Joker is but one man, and an entire criminal organization to convict is just too good of an opportunity to pass up." Winter and Glynda agree, but Jaune's friends frown at the name the General used instead of the one they know and love.

"**We'll have to hit all banks simultaneously. SWAT teams, backup…" He holds up the bundle of lien. "When the new DA hears about this, he'll want in." Batman moves to the exit "Do you trust him?" "Be hard to keep him out." He shrugged while bagging the cash. "I hear he's as stubborn as you-" he looks back, but Batman is already gone.**

**The scene then changes to a penthouse suit of a tall hotel the following morning. It switches to the inside where we see Klein Sieben walking past the hallway, carrying a breakfast tray. **

"Klein?!" the Schnee sisters shout.

Ruby turns her head towards her partner "You know that guy?" Weiss nodded and explained "Yes, he's our family butler." "He has been loyal to our family for years" Winter further elaborated.

**He stops at a still-made bed, then sighs and turns around, annoyed over what he has to do now.**

**The next scene is Klein getting out of a car and walking down rail yards, carrying a thermos. He is muttering to himself, no doubt for the wasted food that he had to throw out. He walks towards a railway bridge and stops at a large container that was sitting lopsided. Klein unlocks the doors and steps inside. The container was dark as he fumbles for a bit, banging his elbow in the process and swearing, to the gasp of the Schnee's as they never heard him using such language before, before a hiss is heard as the floor lowers.**

Ruby is bouncing in excitement "Awesome, a secret lair!" Nora was the same, thinking of all the cool things that could be hidden there, and what she's do if she had that. 'All the pancakes in the world without Renny knowing.' Said boy suddenly had a bad feeling and looked at his partner, seeing the wide smile she had and looked back at the screen, 'Note to self: need to keep her away from any shovels' he thought.

Yang had a thought. "Wait," she said, getting her friend's attention. "Do you think that the old man is this Batman guy?" "Don't be ridiculous." Weiss immediately scoffed at the idea, "He would never think of doing such a reckless thing, especially at his advanced age."

**The floor lowers on a giant piston and Klein steps off into a large, low-ceiling, bunker. The Batmobile sits in the middle, giving proof to Yang's 'theory'. Machines: 3d printers, power tools, etc., dot the high-tech space ("No fair, I want a workspace like that!" "Rubes stop pouting."). At one end, a person is sitting at a bank of monitors watching footage of the bank robbery.**

"**Be nice when Schnee Manor's rebuilt and you can swap not sleeping in a penthouse for not sleeping in a mansion." He jokes as he places a cup of coffee, poured from the thermos, in front of the man, now revealed to be Whitely Schnee.**

"Whitely?!" the Schnee's are again surprised, especially when they realized the implications of the setting and what he's doing. Ruby looked at Weiss, question clear in her expression. Weiss noticed this and sighed, "He's our little brother" much to her, and everyone else who didn't know this information, shock.

Yang smiles "He's not so little from where I'm sitting."

**It was true, the boy who is a pompous little shit stain in their universe, was a 34-year-old man (1), with clear defining muscles.**

"Disgusting, that's my brother Yang." Weiss was disturbed by how many of the women were eyeing her 'little' brother.

"Also, this is not how he normally acts back home, he's more like father." She said, spitting the title of her sperm donor like it was a curse. Pyrrha, still steamed over how she acted towards HER dream man asked "Really, then how is he in our world?"

Weiss was about to reply when Jack did it for her, with his now usual form of speak. "He's a pompous little shit, a racist like his father, and with absolutely no redeemable qualities whatsoever." Winter and Weiss glared at him a bit for how he said that about their brother, but then closed their eyes with Winter nodding her head, both knowing how truly horrid her brother was.

The women's ogling died faster than a goldfish from a carnival game.

**Whitely was busy stitching up a cut on his arm that he got from that dog, earning a gasp of from his sisters in the audience as well as a glare towards Roman for hurting their brother. Klein continues while taking the needle from him. "When you stitch yourself up you make a bloody mess."**

**Whitely simply smiles and says, "But I learn from my mistakes, Klein." Klein just shakes his head.**

"**You should be pretty knowledgeable by now, then." Whitley, and a lot from the audience, chuckles at the quip and smiles gently up at his father-figure "My armor... I'm carrying too much weight, I need to be faster." Klein nods and says, "I'm sure Mr. Polendina can oblige."**

**He looks at the wound in slight worry. "Did you get mauled by a tiger?" Whitley immediately tried to explain and preserve his masculinity "It was a dog. A big dog." He elaborated once he saw the laugh threatening to leave his lips.**

**He sighs in exhaustion "There were more copycats last night, Klein." Klein nods and tries to support those people, "Perhaps you could hire some of them and take the weekends off." He just shakes his head and tries to stand up, only for Klein to smack him upside the head and told him to sit his ass back still. "This wasn't exactly what I had in mind when I said I wanted to inspire people." His butler and friend just nodded, "I know sir. But things are changing, for the better even. Look at the new District Attorney..." Whitley points to a monitor: a handsome James Ironwood in a suit displayed. "I am. Closely."**

"Ok, that's creepy." Emerald was shivering a bit, feeling like that guy was stalking that man. "Yes, and the way he said that doesn't help." Cinder, while evil, didn't really like the thought of someone looking over her like she was some cheap, entertainment device (AN: Shhh, nobody tell her.).

"Hey, Penny?" "Yes Ruby?" "Do you know what that butler guy ("Klein, you dunce.") Klein was talking about with this Polendina guy?" Penny put her hand below her chin in a thinking pose that she saw other people do, "I believe so. He may be talking about my father." Ruby nodded and after thanking her, returned her attention towards the screen.

Ozpin congratulated his friend on the new office after taking a sip from his still damaged mug, "Well my friend, looks like you are still keeping the people safe like you always wanted." James nodded his thanks while Winter congratulated her superior as well.

"**I need to know if he can be trusted." He tried to justify himself in the eyes of his friend (AN. Yeah, not helping your case here pal.), but Klein saw through the BS and looked at some of the other images: The DA at a meeting, him doing a speech during a campaign rally, helping an old lady get out of a cab.**

This time, everyone shivered. "This is getting more disturbing as time goes on." Salem admitted, much to Ozpin's shock. He then noticed something else with the last image. "Wait, isn't that…?"

**A woman being escorted by James, showing it to be Glynda.**

Said woman was looking a bit green that someone was watching her like a creep. "I think I'm going to be sick." Oz simply put his hand on her shoulder in silent support.

James on the other hand couldn't be happier, his unrequited love was escorting him somewhere. Granted it was another him, and it was being recorded by that insufferable man's equally horrible son, but damnit he will take what he could get at this point. Qrow was just laughing quietly at the whole situation, not caring how disturbing this all was.

"**Are you interested in his character... or who he surrounds himself with?" he points out. Whitley shrugs off the mild accusation. "Who Glynda spends her time with is her business."**

"**Well, I trust you're not following me on my day off." Klein tries to make joke of the frankly disturbing scene he was witnessing, getting a few to mildly chuckle, while Whitley comes back with "If you ever took one, I might**."

"Every time he opens his mouth, he just digs himself inside a bigger hole." Qrow was laughing at how a Schnee was being depicted as and the comment his nieces' dark-haired teammate made, with the sisters of that man just putting their heads in their palms in embarrassment.

Everyone else just cringed at what he just said. Blake was amused at how the guy just keeps hurting himself in the eyes of everyone and comment aside, mostly kept it to herself.

**Klein bites the thread off and examines his work. Then he looks at the scars crisscrossing Whitley's shoulders as Whitley begins to stand and put on his shirt. "Know your limits, Master Whitley." He said, afraid that one day, he will bite off more than he could chew. "Batman has no limits." Whitley answers back (Roman: "famous last words."), once he finishes up. "Well, you do, sir." Klein tries to convince him. He just shakes his head, "I can't afford to know them."**

"**And what happens the day you find out?" He asks. "Well. We all know how much you like to say, 'I told you so'." he shrugged, earning a few nods from the sisters. "That day, Master Whitley, even I won't want to…" The two begin to walk away towards the lift as the screen darkens, "Probably."**

"Your butler sure seems like a blast" Yang compliments. Weiss smiles while Winter nods, "Yes, he was such a kind man whilst living in Atlas. He was the only good thing about that mansion." Weiss lamented. 'Maybe I should get him a gift when we get back, a car or maybe some new clothes. Can never get a correct feel off that man.'

**The screen lights back up and we see the inside of a courtroom, where James Ironwood bursts inside. His assistant, and girlfriend Glynda (*whispers*"yes!"), looks up, annoyed. He apologizes to those in the room about being late while she whispers to him as he sat down, "Where were you?" James looks back at her with a playful grin, surprising those who knew him "Worried you'd have to step up?"**

"Wow, where can we get this guy, he seems way more fun to hang out with than ours" Qrow quips with Winter glaring at him while Ozpin reprimands him "Qrow, that is enough I think."

**She glared at him, surprising no one, and replies "I know the case backwards." James pulls a large silver coin out of his pocket and grins. "Well then, fair's fair: heads, I'll take it. Tails, he's all yours." He then flips the coin and catches it. He shows Glynda the result, heads. Both Glynda's look astonished over how he just seemed to base his decision on chance with the one on screen asking, "You're flipping a coin to see who leads?" incredulously.**

"**it's my father's lucky coin. And as I recall, it got me my first date with you."**

Once again, James is on cloud nine about his other's good fortunes. 'YES!'

Glynda sees the grin on display in his face and smacks the back of his head, cruelly bringing him out of his fantasy.

"**I'm serious, James, you don't leave these things to chance." She said, getting a nod from most of the women in the audience. "I don't." he said in a sincere voice, as he gets up. "I make my own luck." James looks across at the defendant, Jacques Gelé.**

"Why is my father in court?" Weiss asks, again, his title as if it was a curse. "And why is he not with my brother?" Jack simply relies "Ah, well to answer that: your father is one of the mob bosses that control the criminal underground." Weiss looks surprised by his answer, but then thinks about how her father usually acts. She nods and says, "Yes, I suppose I can see that." Blake couldn't agree more, and Winter nodding at how similar this version of that man is to her father.

"And in this world, he isn't Whitley's father" Jack said, answering her second question, getting the sisters to drop their jaws. Qrow was busy taking pictures of Winter's face as Weiss attempted to compose herself, looking upset about the new information. 'That lucky little brat.'

**Jacques looks at James with such a cocky smirk that many in audience just wants to beat the crap out of him for. "I thought the DA just played golf with the Mayor." He says condescendingly (Yang: "wow, he even sounds like an ass"). "Tee-off is at 1:30. More than enough time to put you away for life, Sally." He replies, getting a few laughs. The bailiffs lead a man into the witness box.**

**James steps up, now is in his element. "With Carmine Falcone in Arkham prison, someone must've stepped up to run the so-called family." He starts off with, the man nodding in agreement. "Is this man in the courtroom today" Another nod. "Could you identify him for us, please?" James turns to Jacques, who is poker-faced. He smiles, believing that he's won. "You win, counselor."**

"Hah, take that not-Weiss's dad!" Coco proclaimed. "Ms. Adel, enough." Glynda glared at her. Weiss on the other hand shook her head. "He has an ace in his sleeve."

Yang, who was cheering with Coco before the reprimand, turned to Weiss "What you mean Ice Queen? You heard the man, he's toast." Weiss glared at the nickname but answered regardless. "My father always has a trick when eluding the authorities." Winter nodded her head, knowing how that man operates, while James was gritting his teeth in frustration and the other adults were appalled.

Salem, on the other hand, rubbed her chin in thought, then turned to her followers "We may have need of this man. His wealth could prove pivotal to our cause." They nodded their heads.

"**It was me." James's smile disappears, while the courtroom begins to make a fuss. He turns back to the witness in anger. "I've got a sworn statement from you that this man, Jacques Gelé, is the new head of the Falcone crime family. The witness chuckles "Jacques? He's a fall guy. I'm the brains of the organization." Laughs from the gallery erupts. James turns to the judge.**

"You see?" Weiss said, glaring at her on-screen not-father. "He always has a plan for this situation." Many were also glaring that he will walk away a free man.

"**Permission to treat the witness as hostile?" He asks as the witness says "Hostile? I'll show you hostile." He jumps up, points a gun at him, and pulls the trigger, with people screaming, and James's friends in the audience yelling denials at this. Much to their collective relief however, the gun jams. James, after quickly recovering from his near-death experience, steps forward and grabs the gun while delivering a right hook ("You go, tin man!" "Qrow!"). He unloads the gun and sets it down in front of Jacques.**

"**Ceramic 28 caliber. Made in Vacuo. If you want to kill a public servant, Mr. Jacques, I recommend you buy Valen." Everyone stares, open-mouthed, as James adjusts his tie like a boss. Then the courtroom erupts in celebration as the Bailiffs are wrestling the witness away from the box, while the man in the audience is getting pats on the back for his other handling that, to his embarrassment. He then sees what was happening to the guy that very nearly killed and says "But, your honor, I'm not done..."**

"Still wanting to go on, despite the clear death-threat." Raven nods her head in respect. James just glares at the bandit queen, not wanting to dignify that with a response.

**We cut to James' office, it was mid-afternoon outside. Ozpin in standing inside as James enters. The two men shake hands. "Well now, word's out you've got a hell of a right hook. Shame he's going to walk." James thanks him for the praise and shacks his head. "Well, one good thing about the mob is they keep giving you second chances."**

**He then picks up a bundle of lien, the same one from the heist. "Lightly irradiated bills. Fancy stuff for a city cop. Had any help with this?" he asks rhetorically, already knowing the answer.**

**Oz shrugs and gives a reply, "We liaise with various agen-" "Enough, Ozpin." He interrupts.**

"Wow, Oz. Jimmy's not taking your shit today" Qrow said as he drank from his flask. Ozpin just glared at him for that, while Salem smirks at him, adding to his frustration.

"**I want to meet him." Oz just smirks a bit at him. "Official policy is to arrest the vigilante known as Batman on sight." James snorts back a laugh and returns the smirk "And that flood light on top of M.C.U.?" He tries to play that off. "If you have any concerns about... malfunctioning equipment... take them up with maintenance, counselor."**

**James tosses the bills back onto his desk, annoyed at the BS Oz is still trying to sell to him. "I've put every known money launderer in Vale behind bars, but somehow the mob is still getting its money out." He proclaimed, earing a few whistles in respect for his dedication and success in his work. "I think you and your 'friend' have found the last game in town and you're trying to hit 'em where it hurts: their wallets. Bold, I like it. You gonna count me in?"**

**Oz shakes his head. "In this town, the less that people know, the safer the operation is." Now James is looking a bit frustrated. "Lieutenant, I don't like that you've got your own special unit, and I don't like that it's full of cops I investigated at internal affairs."**

"Wait, is he implying that Blake is a dirty cop?" Yang started to glare at the General. "Yang calm down" Tai and Blake tries to calm the blond brawler before she does something she'll regret.

**Oz sighs in resignation. "If I didn't work with cops you'd investigated, I'd be working alone. I don't get political points for being an idealist, I have to do the best I can with what I have." He looks tired now, showing the audience just how exhausted his job has made him.**

**James looks at Ozpin, thinking how to go forward. "You want me to back warrants for search and seizure on five banks without telling me who we're after?" He still wants to be of some help, something that Oz appreciates and decides to meet him in the middle, "I can give you the names of the banks."**

**He nods "Well ok, that's a start. I'll get you your warrants." He raises his arm for a handshake. "But I want your trust in return." Oz goes to shake his hand. "You don't have to sell me, James. We all know you're Vale's white knight." James, finally making some, grins. "Yeah? Well I hear that they've got a different nickname for me down at M.C.U."**

**Cut to a boardroom inside Schnee Enterprises. Its CEO, Adrian Polendina, and the rest of the board are listening to Arthur Watts, CEO of Watts' Industries.**

"Interesting." The man in question was stroking his impressive mustache, wondering what he is trying to pitch. Cinder on the other hand felt angry. Not only does her rival own his own accompany, he also got a spot in the screen before her!

Penny was happy seeing her 'father' make an appearance, and was hugging her best friend in excitement, much to Ruby's recent failing health from near spinal fracture. "Too…tight… Penny…" She barely got out. She let go and quickly apologized, deeply regretful over her actions (AN. The poor thing. Don't worry, I'll fix that pesky problem soon).

"**In Atlas, Watts' Industries stands for dynamic new growth. A joint venture with Schnee Enterprises will be a powerhouse on the international scene." Watts boasted as Adrian nodded and said "Well, Mr. Watts, I think I speak for the rest of the board, and Mr. Schnee, in expressing our own excitement..." A loud noise suddenly interrupts his speech. Watts looked to the head of the table, only to deadpan at seeing Whitley fast asleep, his loud snoring being the cause of the noise.**

"Hahaha!" Cinder was laughing in sadistic glee that her rival had put someone to sleep so easily.

Watts was indignant and looked to his 'friends' for support. "I am not that boring, am I?" Hazel didn't turn his head to respond. Seeing no comfort there, he turned his sight on Tyrian, who he saw was taking a nap. Since there was no action, or death as he would have put it, he decided to take a nap to pass the time until something, or rather someone, exciting appeared. It was just poor timing on Watts' part that he turned to him when he did.

**In the hallway, Adrian was escorting Watts to the elevator. He's joined by Scarlet David ("Hey isn't he one of your boyfriend's teammates" "He's not my boyfriend Yang") (2), an ambitious 30-year-old M&A consultant lawyer.**

**Watts was busy trying to reassure his escort as they neared the elevator, "It's OK, Mr. Polendina. Everyone knows who **_**really**_** runs Schnee Enterprises." He simply smiles and nods to diffuse the situation "We'll be in touch as soon as our people have wrapped up the diligence."**

**After Watts enters the elevator, and the doors closed, Scarlet frowned and turns to his superior. "Sir, I know Mr. Schnee's curious on how his trust fund gets replenished but frankly... this is embarrassing." Polendina heads for his office, with his subordinate in tow.**

"**You worry about the diligence, Mr. David. I'll worry about Mr. Schnee." Scarlet sighed and gave his boss a folder. "It's already done. the numbers are solid." Adrian smiled at him "Double check it. We wouldn't want the trust fund to run out, now would we?" Back inside the boardroom, Whitley is seen awake and standing by the window.**

"Well, look who finally woke up from his nap," "Oh do be silent, you horrid tart!" Cinder was taking real joy in baiting Watts, not really caring what he called her. Meanwhile, Salem just sighed at the bickering that her underlings were partaking in. Again. 'Is this what Ozpin has to deal with every day?'

**His friend walked in and asked while smiling a bit, "Another long night?" Whitley smiles back and turns to him "This joint venture was your idea you know." He reminded his friend and 'boss'.**

"**The consultants loved it, but I'm not convinced yet. Watts' Industries has been growing steadily for years now with no signs of stopping. They must get some of their money that's off the books."**

**Whitely nods at his friend's deduction. "OK. Cancel the deal then." Adrian looks pointedly at him, smirking a bit. "You knew." Whitely shrugs it off. "I needed a closer look at their books."**

"Ok, that is not normal" Weiss looks pensive for a bit at the information behind this company's success. "Why not?" Ruby asked, looking to the heiress for a deeper explanation as she would know if a company's finances were fishy or not. "For a company to have such a continuous growth such as this 'Watts' Industries', there must be something more going on. Not even the SDC is that successful." A lot of the adults nodded in agreement, this was just too suspicious for them to believe.

**END**

**Hey Guys, please R&R, tell me how I'm doing and if I need help. Also, moved to a new house so any flamings sent to me will just be used as fuel for my new fireplace, and just in time as Winter is coming.**

**1\. Bale was roughly that age when The Dark Knight was released**

**2\. Scarlet was the only other one from team SSSN that I could put a voice to. Don't worry, I have plans for the other two.**


	4. Why So Serious? Pt 3

**Chapter 3: "Why So Serious?" Pt. 3**

**Reviews!**

**Zeroth17****: Thanks for the help, I'll do my best to keep that promise.**

**the Composcreator****: I can't do 13 days since I don't know what it's about, but Dogma...Oh yes!**

**InnocentSorow****: Koneko it is. It will still have to wait due to how long this movie is, and that I already promised someone the next pick. Very curious when you mentioned the nun, I think that would work best.**

**TheMadShowman****: I know that bashing him is kind of a dick move, but I did try to think of other characters before I settled with him. To me, none of the others could mesh as well with Klein since almost none of them ever met the guy, plus I felt that the banter between the two was more natural this way. And using any of the other siblings was a no-go too since I had plans for them both later in the film.**

**(To everyone who feels the same: Don't worry. Since I'm covering the whole movie, we'll get to see him in a more positive light. Remember, here he isn't bound by his father's will, and his role model is Klein.)**

**Wolfang21****: I've watched that video. It was awesome. Don't think I'll be doing that anytime some though, I'm just not that good of a writer yet. Maybe someday though. The story he made just gave me chills every time I watched it, and best part is that I could see the Joker do that.**

**Disclaimer in the prologue.**

**In a restaurant, we see Glynda and James at a table. Uncharacteristically, he looks a bit intimidated by his surroundings, not used to the fancy décor yet. "It took three weeks to get a reservation and I had to tell them I worked for the government." He laments his thoughts to his date. Glynda looks surprised "Really?" "This city health inspector's not afraid to pull strings." James boasted, causing Glynda to smile.**

Everyone who knew the woman were shocked by this. Some even took a picture of this rare event.

Glynda looked at their faces and actions, and glared at them, "What is the matter with you people? I'm human too you know, I can show some emotion." Yang nodded her head rapidly and tried to appeal to her, "We know professor, we know. We just never saw you with any _positive_ emotions." Her friends facepalmed simultaneously. Glynda was now glaring twice as fierce, but with a small blush of embarrassment for being called out like that.

**Then, over his shoulder, she sees Whitley enter, accompanied by a beautiful woman ("Well, she certainly is beautifu-Ow, Nora!" "Stupid Renny"). James noticed and asked "What?" Whitley then makes himself known to James, in typical fashion "Glynda! Fancy that." She did not look amused, and her tone reflected that, "Yes, Whitley. Fancy that."**

Ruby looked very disturbed at this. "Jeez Weiss, your brother is a major creep." Weiss agreed with her dunce of a leader.

**Whitley, either not noticing the tone or flat out ignored it, introduced his date. "Glynda, Natascha. Natascha, Glynda." Natascha, in an odd accent (AN. Don't know what Russian is called in Remnant), greeted the couple with a polite hello. "Ah. The famous Whitley Schnee." James greeted. "Glynda's told me everything about you." In a joking manner Whitley replied, "Well, I certainly hope not".**

**Glynda, seeing that he would not be leaving decided to introduce her date. "Whitley, this is James Ironwood." Whitley, after saying hello, got a 'brilliant idea' and said, "Let's put a couple tables together." James, rightfully confused with the notion, said "I don't know if they'll let-" he was sadly interrupted though.**

"**They should! I own the place." Whitley replied boldly.**

"That does seem like what our brother would do." Winter said, putting her hand on her head in embarrassment for the waste of money he no doubt spent. Weiss did the same.

James, on the other hand, was glaring at the man for interrupting his other's date, and Glynda felt sick to her stomach. But can you blame her? One of her _first-year students'_ younger brother was currently trying to make her jealous, while attempting to court her.

The younger generation felt a collective shiver crawl up their spines at what was happening.

**Having a key sense for what games her 'friend' was playing at, Glynda asked with more than a hint of suspicion, "For how long? About three weeks?" Whitley took it with grace however. "How'd you know?" She then turned to his date, immediately recognizing her, "Natascha, aren't you...?" "Prima ballerina for the Moscow Ballet." Whitley proudly proclaimed. She looked at his friend with even more suspicion, and a bit of disgust thrown in, "James is taking me there next week."**

"Go teach, don't take his bullshit lying down!" Coco, as well as a few others, was cheering on her teacher's on-screen counterpart. Glynda wanted to reprimand her students but felt that in this situation it was appropriate to simply let it go and take the applause.

"**You're into ballet, James?" Whitley was trying to passively interrogate the man, causing a few in the audience to glare at him for the attempt. Glynda though was quick to derail that. "No. He knows that I am though. (whispering) Not that you would know." ("Oh BURN!" "Miss Adel!").**

**A few of the staff finally arrives with an extra table.**

**The scene transitions to them finishing up their dinner and Natascha talking about the topic of family. "Oh, come on! How could you want to raise children in a city like this?"**

This caused James to drift off into lala land at the image he thought up. Glynda once again smacked her friend's head to stop it.

**Whitley tries to defend his home, "I was raised here. I turned out OK." James, though, asked confusingly, "Wait, isn't Schnee Manor in the city limits?" Both Glynda's snorted, trying to cover up their laughs. Whitley though took the untended joke in stride. "The Bulwark? Sure. You know, as our new D.A. you might want to figure out where your jurisdiction ends."**

Qrow didn't like how the little shit was badmouthing his friend "Hey pot, meet kettle, have we met?" This caused a round of laughter at that, while James felt a bit grateful for the gesture.

**Natascha steered the conversation back to the original topic. "I'm talking about the kind of city that idolizes a masked vigilante..." James tried to downplay the clear breaking of the law. "Vale's proud of an ordinary man standing up for what's right." Natascha quickly shook her head and denied his claim. "Vale needs heroes like you- elected officials, not a man who thinks he's above the law."**

"That is true" James agreed. "If we allow people who view themselves above the law, then anarchy would reign supreme soon after." Winter nodded to her boss's assessment.

**Whitley 'agreed' as well, "Exactly. Who appointed the Batman?" James frowned. "We did. All of us who stood by and let scum take control of our city." He was clearly upset by that, and Whitley sees the passion behind his words.**

**Natascha looks afraid "But this is a democracy, James." He looked back with conviction. "When their enemies were at the gate, the Romans would suspend democracy and appoint one man to protect the city. It wasn't considered an honor. It was considered public service."**

A lot of the older women were blushing a bit at the conviction in this James' speech, while said man nodded along to his counterpart's words. 'I couldn't have said it better myself. I do have to wonder what a Roman is.'

**Glynda curbed his speech a bit. "Yeah, and the last man they asked to protect the republic was named Caesar, and he never gave up that power." (Qrow: "Wow, way to break his bubble"). James shrugged. "Well, I guess you either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain. Look, whoever the Batman is, he doesn't want to spend the rest of his life doing this. How could he? Batman is looking for someone to take up his mantle." **

**Now Natascha was amused and smiled, "Someone like you, Mr. Ironwood?" showing that she was a bit smitten with his emboldened speech, causing a few in the audience to laughs at the on-screen Glynda glaring at her. He shrugged again, "Maybe. If I'm up to it." Natascha reaches up and covers the top half of James's face. "But what if James is the Batman?" He snickered a bit at that, "If I was sneaking out every night, **_**someone**_** would've noticed by now." He takes Glynda's hand at the extra meaning behind the word. Glynda glances at Whitley awkwardly.**

**Said man nodded and pointed at him. "Well, you've sold me, James. I'm gonna throw you a fundraiser." Said man was confused at the pitch coming from left field, as were a few in the audience. "That's nice of you, Whitley, but I'm not up for reelection for three years. That won't even begin for-"**

**Whitley, however, interrupted him. **"**I don't think you understand. One fundraiser with my pals, you'll never need another lien." James smiles at the opportunity.**

**The scene cuts to the next day, with a line of high-quality cars parking at the back alley of a hotel. As they stop, they dispense well-dressed gangsters who immediately head for the backdoor.**

**Inside the kitchen, Roman walks through a metal detector manned by two Atlesians. There he sees a tall man wearing a black vest over a white dress shirt, a red tie, black gloves, red tinted glasses and black dress pants is seen being wanded. This is Hei Xiong, or more commonly known as Junior. His bodyguards, including the Malachite twins, standing near.**

Yang was shocked at seeing the club owner in this universe as a crime boss. 'The twins are there too?'

Roman sees his business associate and is a bit vexed that he probably holds a similar position to his counterpart.

**He nods at Roman, wary of the tight level of security. We then cut to a conference room (AN. "Well more like another kitchen but with a few more chairs"), where Vale's most notorious crime bosses are meeting. A door opens, and two burly Atlesians enter, pushing a cart with a TV on top.**

**They place it at the end of the table. One of the crime bosses, one Raven Branwen, looks on in confusion and anger. "The hell is this...?" The screen flickers to life, showing the face of Watts. The room erupts in shouts and accussations.**

Those who knew the woman were not that shocked that she was also a crime boss, though Yang did glare at the image while Ozpin and Tai looked on in disappointment. Raven didn't care what Ozpin, or her daughter thought of her; but she did feel a small pain in her chest at seeing how Tai reacted before smothering it. 'It's in the past now, move on'.

Weiss glared hard at the screen, "So I was right, that company is up to no good." A lot of her friends looked on in horror that the head of a major corporation would stoop so low as to have major ties in the criminal underworld. Well almost everyone. 'Why am I not surprised?' Blake thought, glaring too at what was happening.

**Through the tv, Watts said "**_**Ladies and**__**Gentlemen, please. As you're all aware, one of our deposits was stolen. A relatively small amount: 68 million."**_

Roman looked shocked. "Holy shit! Now I really want to have that kid with us!" Neo nodded, thinking of all the ice-cream she would buy with that. Raven was thinking of extending an invitation to that Jaune kid. 'If he's half as good in our universe, he would make an excellent addition to the tribe.'

Ozpin, his group and students, glared at the thieves for that remark. "Glynda, remind me to keep Mr. Arc as far away from him as possible." "Yes Sir."

"Specialist Schnee, remind me to keep an eye on M. Arc. Wouldn't want a certain someone getting his claws on him" "Yes Sir!" Ironwood has the same idea.

"Hmmm. Most impressive." Salem remarked on the amount of lien this young man managed to steal. "Indeed, Mistress. Would you like for us to acquire him back in our world?" Cinder asked, wishing to please her master. Salem thought it through and nodded. "Make it so."

Emerald looked at the scene in admiration. "I think I'm in love." Emerald sighed dreamily, causing Neo and the girls who are crushing on the blond noodle to glare at her. Mercury just sulked at how successful that kid was.

**Roman looked around at his fellow associates with a critical eye. "Who's stupid enough to steal from us?" Neo was glaring at the people with distrust, the one off-screen clapping happily at seeing her counterpart. Watts replied, "**_**I'm told the man who arranged the heist calls himself The Joker**_**." Now the fashionable thief looked confused "Who the hell is that?"**

**The one who answered his question is Jacques. "Some destitute, deranged mad-man who wears a cheap purple suit and horrid make-up. He's not a problem- he's nothing." He insulted, making Jaune's friends glare at him.**

**He looks at Watts "The **_**problem**_** is our money being tracked by the cops." Murmurs of surprise sprouted from the group. Watts nodded. "**_**Thanks to Mr. Gelé's well-placed sources we know that the police have identified our banks using marked bills and are planning to seize your funds. Today as a matter of fact.**_**" Everyone starts shouting at the potential loss.**

"'Well-placed sources', huh?" Roman looked at Blake, insinuating just who might have tipped off the mobster. Yang didn't like the remark and threatened him "If you don't stop looking at _my_ partner like that, I'll come over there and give your ass such a pounding that-!" Before she could finish, Blake covered up her mouth.

**In various banks, we see police vans parked nearby. In one SWAT van, Ozpin is seen sitting just outside a bank. His trusted lieutenant Oobleck is outside another. Blake a third. Ozpin contacts his men "SWAT teams, check weapons and prepare to move..."**

"Awesome! A crime bust!" Ruby was excited that her headmaster was busting the criminals. Weiss agreed with the sentiment. "Indeed, he's striking these villains in the one place that matters to them, their wallets." 'Take that father.' She may be a bit more invested in seeing her father losing something so near and dear to him than she thought.

'Is that a vindictive smile on her face?' Jack noticed but kept it to himself.

**Back in the peanut gallery, Watts was waiting for everyone to calm down.**

**Roman was pissed. "You promised us clean money to use!" Watts was smug in his reply. "**_**With the investigation ongoing, none of you can risk hanging on to your own proceeds. And since the enthusiastic new D.A. has put all my competitors out of business, I'm your only option**_**." Jacques was turning a rather unhealthy shade of red but managed to barely keep his anger in check. "So, what are you proposing?" he asked through gritted teeth. Watts turned to the man, "**_**Moving all deposits to one secure location. Not a bank however**_**." Junior glared at the man on screen. "Where, then?" The twins crossing their arms simultaneously and glaring at the prick. "**_**Obviously, no one can know but myself. If the police were to gain leverage over one of you, then everyone's money would be at stake**_**."**

**Jacques asks Watts. "How soon can you move the money?" Cut back to the banks, we see Ozpin hurries up a flight of stairs with several of his men. SWAT teams rush the various banks. "**_**I already have**_**..."**

**In an underpass, a man is finishing loading a trailer filled with cash. The truck pulls out into a convoy of similar sized trucks. Inside a bank vault, Ozpin stands in an almost empty vault, furious. So mad, that he kicks a wad of lien, the same ones that were marked by the police.**

**Watts continues "**_**For obvious reasons I couldn't wait for your permission**_**..." The shot of Watts on the main screen widens "... Rest assured, your money is safe." He is already on his private jet.**

"NOoo! He got away." Ruby slumps, disappointed. "And he saved the crooks' money" Nora bemoaned at this as well. Weiss glared at the lost opportunity to screw over her father.

**Roman, both, did not look so happy with his decision. "So, what's stopping them from getting to you?" some of the bosses nodded in agreement, with the good adults in the audience voicing their own agreements. "**_**As the money is moved, I am on my way to Atlas. Far from James's jurisdiction. And the Atlesian government will not extradite one of their own**_**."**

"Is this true James?" Ozpin asks, wary of the answer. James noticed the expression his friend's wearing and immediately goes to deny it. "Of course not, Ozpin!" He shouts. "That man would be on the first bullhead back to Vale the moment his plane touches the ground!"

**From the back of the room, someone is slowly laughing. It grows and grows, until it fills the room. All eyes turn to a figure that many in the audience were hoping to forget: The Joker. Sweaty clown makeup obscuring the horrible scars that contorts his mouth into a permanent, psychotic smile.**

"Oh great, crazy's back." Coco commented, analyzing what he was wearing and begrudgingly admits that his outfit was better than the last. Neo also shivered at the laugh and was giving the man 'I want you' eyes. His laugh also got Tyrian to wake his ass up, as if he instinctively knew that shit was going to go down.

"**And I thought **_**my**_** jokes were bad." Junior was the first to react, and essentially gave one of his men his death certificate. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't have my boy here pull your cheap head off."**

**The Joker in response, pulls out a freshly sharpened pencil. "How about a magic trick?" He then slams the pencil into the table, pointing the sharp end up. "I'm gonna make this pencil disappear." His arms gestures to the pencil with 'magic hands'. Junior nods at his guy.**

**The dead-man-walking steps forwards to grab The Joker, who quickly sidesteps and, as he grips his head, slams it face down onto the table. The body instantly goes limp and slides off the table, the pencil disappearing inside his left eye socket. "TADDA! It's, ah it's gone." The Joker moves to sit down on a vacant chair, while grinning at his audience.**

The room was silent. Not many were expecting the brutal death of that man, even if it was a thug. Tyrian rapidly begins clapping his hands, highly amused by the 'magic trick' he saw with Neo following suit. "Bravo! Magnificent! Encore!" He was applauding the fantastic display.

Jaune's friends were horrified that that version did that. "Renny, I'm scared." Nora whimpered, Ren rushing to calm his partner.

Ruby felt queasy again and started crying, Tai letting her lean on his shoulder, at how demented her crush was acting.

Pyrrha and Velvet couldn't stop the tears from stopping, seeing their crush acting like this hurt them deeply.

"Woah, brutal." Mercury and Emerald winced at how quick the man was killed. Cinder on the other hand looked pleased at how well he handled the situation, 'Hmm, if not for the clear insanity, he would make the perfect King to my Queen.' She blushed a bit when she thought that thought. Neo, like Cinder, was blushing but more prominently and was even rubbing her legs.

The professors were saddened at seeing such a promising student fall so low. 'What has happened to you Mr. Arc?' Ozpin thought. Raven didn't really care, just impressed with how he killed him. 'Seriously, who's ever killed a man with a pencil?'

Salem was wanted to have this boy even more now. Hazel and Watts not caring whatsoever, seeing how Tyrian usually gets when he's on the hunt. Said man just sat back down. *sniff* "He's like the son I've always wanted" Now THAT got their attention, and they shivered at the thought.

**The Jocker continued after getting himself comfortable. "And by the way, Jacques, this suit wasn't cheap. You should know, you payed for it." Junior stands up, furious at how their money was being spent.**

**Roman stops him. "Sit down you idiot. I want to hear what he has to say." The Joker nods his thanks and straightens his posture. "Okay. So, let's rewind the clock back about a year. These cops and lawyers wouldn't **_**dare**_** cross any of you." He looks surprised at them "So what the fuck happened? Did your balls drop off or something? You see, a guy like me-" "A freak" Junior interrupts and some of the others laugh.**

**The Joker pauses for a moment, then continues while trying to ignore the interruption. "A guy, like me- look, I know why you're hold your little *cough* group therapy session in broad daylight. I know why you're afraid to go out at night. The Batman." The mob bosses look uncomfortable at the mention of His name, showing how it affected them all.**

"**You see, look at yourselves. He's shown Vale your true colors. And James… He's just the beginning." He points at Watts, "And as for the tv's so-called, 'plan'? Batman has no jurisdiction. He'll find him and make him squeal" here the screen is directed at his face as he reaches his arms out and squeezes his hands like he was choking someone. He then smiles at Watts, the one in the audience. "I can tell who's the squealers… Every. Single. Time."**

Many in the audience were creeped out by this, not knowing if he could see them or not. "Hey, you don't think he can-" Blake tries to speak but shuts up when the Joker looks to her specifically and winks at her.

Salem meanwhile is glaring at 'her' underling "Something you wish to contribute, Arthur?" The man in question just kneels and grovels for his life. "My lady I assure you, I have absolutely no idea what that mad-man's talking about. I would never dare betray you." Salem continues to glare but stops when she hears the Joker snicker at them.

**Roman, ignoring the man's weird behavior and Watts 'mysteriously' losing connection, asks "Well what do **_**you**_** propose?" The Joker answers with "It's simple. Uh, we Kill the Batman." Much to the amusement of many of the crooks. Jacques is heard over the noise "If it's so easy why haven't you done it already?"**

**The Joker quickly points to him and says, "Like my mother always told me- if you're good at something, never do it for free."**

"Hey, wait a minute, that's not what Vomit Boy's mother says" Yang declared. "Yeah!" Ruby agreed. James looked to the students and asked, "Then what does she say?" Pyrrha answers with pride in her voice "'Strangers are just friends you haven't met yet'" The other students nod, most with smiles on their faces. Ozpin chuckles a bit at seeing his friend's incredulous expression.

**Roman looks intrigued "How much do you want?" "…Half." The Joker tells his price. Again, to the laughter of those in the room, as well as the thieves off-screen holding their chests as they were having trouble breathing, from the ludicrous amount.**

**The Joker shrugs and simply waits for the laughter to die down. "If we don't deal with this, now, soon *snaps fingers* uh Junior won't even be able to get a nickel for his grandma."**

**Junior smashes his fists on the table and stands up, temper finally getting the best of him. "Enough, from the clown!" He moves to kill The Joker, who quickly gets up and casually opens his nice coat, revealing grenades strapped to his chest, much to the audience's collective shock. Junior stops, and the other crooks move back as quickly as possible to get away from the blast radius. "Now, now, let's not **_**blow**_** this out of all proportion."**

"Damnit, that was a good pun." Yang begrudgingly admits. Everyone else was shocked that the clown had explosives strapped to himself.

Neo was excited at this turn of events, Tyrian as well. Cinder was simply curious, wondering what he plans on doing next.

**It also seems that the pins are tied to his thumb, which is made more apparent when he starts tugging at them tauntingly at the man. Junior stares at the Joker while breathing hard. "You think you can steal from us and just walk away?" The Joker nods while smirking a bit. "Oh yeah."**

"**I'm putting the word out- 5 hundred grand for this clown dead. A million alive, so I get to teach him some manners, first."**

**The Joker stares for a bit, then turns to the rest of the assembly. "Ok, so let me know when guys want to take this a **_**little**_** more seriously." He reaches into one of his pockets and pulls out a joker card "Here's my card", and places it down on the table. The Joker then strolls out, just like he told them he would.**

Yang groaned. "Oh man, that was a really good pun too."

**END**

**Ok, Explanation Time:**

**I know that Jaune doesn't have as much screen-time as the other characters, I get that trust me, but that's the whole point isn't it? Joker from the Dark Knight is, in my opinion, at his most terrifying because we just don't know what his next step is, "what is he doing now?" and "where will he show up next?" are questions that are constantly asked by us, and the suspense eventually has our imaginations running wild. Like a great horror film, the evil is most scary when we don't see/know much about them.**

**That's where the Joker from Tim Burton failed most, I think. It's not that he wasn't bad, Jack Nicholson scared the crap out of me, it's just that that's it. In that movie, we already know what most of his plan is, we don't have to think hard on what he'll do next. It's all laid out throughout the movie that we are very rarely surprised by his actions.**

**That's why this Joker is near perfect for me and a lot of other people. He's scary because we see his madness on screen, but he's terrifying because we don't know how much he's pulling the strings, and that will be shown more as this story goes on.**

**Explanation over.**

**Thank you for all the love you've sent so far, and the suggestions as well. So many of gave me such good ideas that I doubt that I'll be able to cover them all (I do plan on finishing this story at one point =P). The next chapter is coming out in a few days, hope you enjoy. =)**

**Please R&R and I'll catch you next time.**


	5. Why So Serious? Pt 4

**Chapter 4: "Why So Serious?" Pt. 4**

**Happy Halloween, no reviews this time. Had to work hard to get this out on time.**

**Thanks to one of my reviewers for this suggestion.**

**You may thank King-Of-Gods for getting me off my ass to post this sooner than expected (wanted to post this on Halloween, but their enthusiasm changed my mind).**

**Disclaimer in the prologue.**

**The screen opens to the night sky, The Bat Signal shown prominently. It then cuts to the roof of the police station with Batman emerging from the shadows towards the spotlight, confused as to why he's been summoned. The man next to the glowing spotlight turns, revealing him to be James. "You're a hard man to reach you know." Ozpin then bursts through the door, pistol drawn. He sees that James was the one who turned on the signal and lowers his weapon.**

**James continues, not bothered with the extra person and anger clear in his voice. "Watts is halfway to Atlas, just so you know. I could have taken his passport. I told you to keep me in the loop! None of this would've happened if you did!"**

James stares at his friend, feeling the same as his counterpart.

**Oz was quick to defend himself, "Really? When we stormed the vaults, all that was left were the marked bills- the ones we used for our operation." He then shouts "They knew we were coming! As soon as your office got involved, there's a leak-"**

"Damn, never seen you worked up before, Oz." Qrow remarks, swishing his flask. Ozpin ignores the remark and thinks back to all the times his friends and allies were put in danger because of a mole.

**James interrupted, "My office?! You're sitting down here with scum like Taurus and Belladonna..."**

"I swear to Oum…" Yang is really getting sick and tired of all the accusations made on her partner. "Just ignore it Yang." Blake says, wanting to move on.

"**Oh, yeah, Ozpin- I almost had your rookie cold on a racketeering beef." He continues to berate Oz as he shouts back. "Don't try to cloud the fact that clearly Gelé's got people in your office, James!" James then turns to Batman. "We need Watts back, but Atlas won't extradite such a renowned citizen under any circumstances."**

**Batman thinks hard about his options, then he says, "If I get him to you, can you get him to talk?" James nods, "Oh, I'll get him to sing." Oz cuts in, making the two turn their gazes to him. "We're going after the mob's life savings. Things will get ugly." James waves off the warning, "I knew the risks when I took this job, lieutenant. Same as you." Before turning to Batman as he says. "How will you get him back, any…way?" He turns but Batman is gone. James looks around the roof, startled that he left without a sound. Ozpin smirks at his effort. "Yeah, he tends to do that."**

The students were snickering at how funny the look on James' face was.

**The screen turns to the Schnee Enterprises in the middle of the day before cutting to the inside of a big office with Whitley sitting down in front of Adrian, showing that the office is his. Adrian gets up from behind his desk. "Our Atlassian friend left town before I could tell him the deal is off, shame too. I was looking forwards to that."**

Cue snickers from Cinder and a glare from Watts at the remark.

**Whitley smirks, "I'm sure you've always wanted to go to Atlas." Adrian opens the door to a private elevator, then the two stepped in. "Not really, can't stand the cold I'm afraid." Adrian smiles as he presses a button. "What's so wrong with a phone call anyway?"**

**He shrugs as he snickered at the banter "Oh I think Mr. Watts deserves a more personal touch after arriving so far from home to have a meeting here. Wouldn't you agree?" The elevator stops, and the doors open to an expansive room, the Applied Sciences Division.**

**Adrian leads his friend off the elevator and into the vast space. He then leads him to a section as he explains what he may need. "For high altitude jumps, you'll need an oxygen tank and some stabilizers. I must say though, compared to what you normally request, jumping out of an airplane is pretty tame."**

"Wait, what does he mean by that?" Weiss asked. She may not like her brother, but that doesn't mean she wants him to die. Jack simply says, "Trust me on this, you're better off not knowing."

**He then stops at a cabinet, pulling open a drawer and hauls out an oxygen tank and ribbed rubber hosing. Whitley sees what is presented, but he's curious about something. "So how about getting back inside the plane?" He didn't want to jump out of a plane into potentially hostile territory without any way for him to escape safely.**

**Adrian just smirks, "I can look into getting a good travel agent for you." He rolls his eyes good-naturedly, "Without it landing, Adrian." He nods in approval. "Now that's more like it, Mr. Schnee." He quickly shuts the drawer and moves on, thinking on what they've got stored away in here that may have what he wants. Then he shakes his head and sighs.**

"**I don't think I have anything here. Beacon had a program in the '60s for getting their people out of hot spots. They called it 'Sky Hook'. Now-" Adrian opens another cabinet to reveal components for his new bat-suit: armored plating secured with a mesh underneath. Whitley lifts an arm.**

"Ooohh" Ruby and Nora look over the plates in wonder, wanting to know what the suit's makeup is. James and Winter are wondering if this armor is better than the ones issued to their troops now.

**Adrian begins to explain. "Hardened Kevlar plates on a titanium- dipped, fiber tri-weave for flexibility..." Whitley examines something on the gauntlet he's holding, seeing blades pop out as he presses down on something... "You'll be lighter, faster, more agile..." Whitley flinches as the blades fire off, spinning like shurikens and just barely missing his right ear, and embedding themselves in a filing cabinet opposite from where they're standing.**

**Adrian looks at him, eyebrow raised but not unhappily. "Perhaps you should read the instructions, first." He says with a bit of sass present in his voice. Properly chastised, Whitley smiles weakly and says "Sorry."**

The two are laughing at what transpired, after witnessing how cool and deadly those weapons attached to the gauntlets were. The silver sisters on the other hand were not so amused.

James was wondering if his R&D could come up with something like this. "Penny be sure to document the make-up and design of this suit. It may prove effective against the Grimm" The girl saluted, "Yes sir, general" and promptly began observing more attentively.

**Adrian then picks up the chest piece, demonstrating its flexibility. "Now unfortunately, there is a trade-off. The spreading of the plates gives you more weak spots. You'll be more vulnerable to gunfire and knives compared to your previous suit." He just takes it in stride, knowing that to be more agile, protection would need to be diminished. "Well, we wouldn't want things getting too easy, now would we?"**

"Cancel that order, Penny." Now James was disappointed. The suit may look sturdy enough, but if it's as vulnerable as Polendina claims it to be, then against the creatures of Grimm it would be near useless for them. 'A shame too, it would've been nice to have something like that. Maybe for law enforcement.'

**Whitley picks up the suit and thinks to his past interactions with the criminal underbelly, remembering a specific detail. "How will it hold up against dogs?" Adrian looks at him quizzically. "Dogs, Mr. Schnee? We're talking chihuahuas or rottweilers here?" Whitley smiles at the quip as Adrian shrugs. "It should do fine against cats."**

Many chuckles are made as they too remember his last interaction with that type of animal.

**We are back to the bat-bunker, a couple hours later with Whitley examining a parachute harness. Klein is nearby as he unfolds a diagram of a large pane with a giant "P" mounted on the front on top of a table. "I found one sir. In Patch. Very nice man. Says it will take him a week to get it in working order, unfortunately. Good news though, he takes cash. What about a flight crew?" Whitley calls back, still examining his equipment and wondering how to best place it on his suit. "North Vacuo smugglers. They run flights into Mantle, below radar the whole way. Did you think of an alibi?"**

**Klein looks up, quite pleased with himself. "Oh, yes." He grins.**

**We cut to the outside entrance to a concert hall at night, where Glynda and James arrive in fine clothing to find the box office closed. A sign reading 'PERFORMANCE CANCELED' posted on the widow.**

**A newspaper story is also taped to the glass. Over a picture of Whitley Schnee on a yacht reading: Love Boat - Billionaire absconds with entire Moscow ballet. James was****baffled by it while Glynda was shaking in rage.**

"Oh, so that's his alibi." Emerald noted. "That's kind of a dick move he made, look at how angry the blonde chick is." Mercury remarked, seeing the fury clear on her face.

**It's now day, where on the deck of Whitley's yacht Klein is picking his way over twelve sunbathing ballerinas. Whitley looks up from a newspaper nearby. Klein goes up to him and points to a plane landing gently across the bay.**

"**I believe your plane is here." He talks loudly so that he's hear over the noise. As the Bullhead cuts the engines, causing the craft to drop and make a decent splash, Whitley says "You okay Klein, you look tired. Will you be all right without me?"**

**A Ballerina suddenly rolls over and waves the suntan lotion at Klein. He looks glances to the woman, then turns back to his boss, smiling like a loon as he did, "Oh don't you worry sir. I'll be just fine here."**

"Damn, old man is one lucky SOB." Roman was ogling the heavenly scene of multiple women in bathing suits, jealous that he's not there working his charm at them (AN: Yeah, keep telling yourself that. "Why are you so mean to me?").

Weiss and Winter were aghast that their butler was acting so lewd in front of them. "My word, Klein. Behave yourself." Winter even reprimanded him, even though there's no way he could've heard that.

**Whitley shrugs and turns away, not wanting to see the weird smile on his butler's face anymore, and tosses a large, waterproof kit bag into the water and jumps in after it. He breaches the surface and begins swimming over to the sea-plane.**

**We now cut to the inside of a pool hall in the middle of the night. Here Junior in playing pool by himself, the twins behind him standing guard by the door. One of his men then steps inside the room. "Boss," he said, causing him to stop his game "somebody's here for you." Junior looks to the back as three people walk inside. Two of which are very familiar to certain members of the audience.**

"SUN?!" "NEPTUNE?!" Blake and Weiss shout. Their friends too shocked to speak.

**That right. Walking in and looking around the hideout of one of Vale's crime bosses are Sun, Neptune, and their fourth and last teammate Sage Ayana. Their shock goes even higher by what the goon says next. "They say they've just killed the Joker and they've come to collect the reward."**

"NO!" Pyrrha was the first to break out of the spell, face drowning in tears, hoping that what he said wasn't true. Velvet and Ruby are the same, with their friends following soon after. Gotta give it to them, even as The Joker, they still care for him.

**Junior was skeptical about the whole thing. "They bring any proof?" His employee smirks as he nods. "They say they've brought in the body." As he says this, he waves to two new goons. Both are carrying something wrapped in several garbage bags and they place it on top of the pool table. The three members of Team SSSN are meanwhile standing in the corner.**

**Junior pulls back one of the garbage bags, and reveals the Joker's face, much to the students' horror and the villains' disappointment. He smirks and turns to address the bounty hunters. "So, Dead. That's five hundred-"**

**As he calls out the reward, behind him the Joker sits up, and thrusts his two hidden knives into the chests of the goons that carried him, leaving them embedded in their new sheaths. Junior quickly spins around to see the crazy grin of a very much alive Joker as his head was grabbed and another knife shoved in his mouth.**

"He's alive!" Nora exclaimed, happy to see her leader still kicking, flat-out ignoring that he just killed two more people. Her friends gave a sigh of relief, acknowledging that he killed more people, but were too preoccupied to care for very long.

The villains smirked, now realizing that he tricked Junior into basically letting him inside his lair. They are interested to see how this will play out.

**The Joker smiles, "How about alive?" he says as he jams the blade in Junior's mouth, pressing the metal right against his cheek. The Bounty Hunters meanwhile show their true loyalties as they subdue the twins and remaining guard, making them kneel as they point guns to their heads.**

"So wait, they were working for him this whole time?" Blake was appalled. She didn't want to know how he managed to convince them to join his side. She still remembered how well that turned out last time.

"I suppose so." Weiss answered, just as worried as her teammate. She was having the same thoughts as her.

**The Joker leaned closer to Junior's face and softly asked "Do you want to know how I got these scars?" The screen's surface started to shift, like the surface of water before stabilizing into a black-and-white image of someone walking down the street.**

"Uh, Jack, what's happening, why's the screen like that?" Yang asked, confused at what they just witnessed.

"Ah, well that would be the scene transitioning to a flashback, of sorts." Jack replied.

**It shifts closer to the man, his stumble indicating that he's had more than a few too many drinks, as the Joker's is heard, "**_**My father… was a drinker. And a fiend**_**." The man walked under a streetlamp and reveals the form of Tyrian Callows.**

"Yes!" The man himself was shouting in glee, "That means that he's my son! The Joker is MY SON!" He just couldn't be happier at the reveal, pointing at the screen with tears of pride on his demented face.

Those who knew him were horrified that he had managed to procreate at all.

"_**And then one night… he goes off crazier than usual**_**…" It now shows the inside of a kitchen where to the surprise of her friends, an older Yang Xiao Long was there, looking at her husband in fear as he was going crazy, wreaking anything that he got his hands on. "**_**Mommy gets the kitchen knife to defend herself. He doesn't like that. Not. One. Bit**_**." Yang, in a fit of courage, went and grabbed a large kitchen knife, pointing its edge at him so that he wouldn't come any closer as Tyrian glares at her, snarling like an animal.**

**Meanwhile, near the doorframe, a younger Jaune Arc was there, watching the whole thing.**

"WHAT IS HE DOING THERE?!" Glynda shouted out, terrified of what that maniac may do with the child there watching everything. "He must've heard the commotion going on and went to check if everything was alright." Ozpin theorized, hand gripping his mug tighter as he watched an older version of his student be in danger.

"Get out of there mini-Jaune!" Nora yelled, being restrained by her team as she struggled to get over there and pull him out.

**The Joker tugs Junior's cheek with the blade as he continued with his horror story. "**_**So, me watching, he takes the knife to her, laughing while he does it**_**." Tyrian manages to overpower Yang, who only managed to slice his arm as he grabbed her. He then took the knife and plunged it into her stomach, laughing like a hyena.**

"YANG!" Her family, even Raven, yelled as the madman stabbed her, then watched in growing horror as he started to repeat the motion, blood flowing out. Ruby held her sister tightly while Yang tried to shield her eyes. Tai and Qrow were by their side and holding them close, almost acting as a shield to the grisly display.

**Then, after the body dropped, he turned to see his son with a look of horror on his young face. "**_**Turns to me and says, 'why so serious?'**_**" Tyrian said what Joker was telling them. He then walks slowly to the young boy, knife with the blood of his deceased wife clutched in his hand much to the adults' wide-eyed terror.**

"_**He comes at me with the knife- 'why so serious?'**_**" Jaune is still standing there, too petrified to move. His mind couldn't cope with the scene he had just witnessed, only flinching as what his dad repeated to say.**

By now, all the students were crying and/or glaring hard at the screen, they didn't want to watch what might happen next. 'Please, someone stop this madness' a few of them thought in desperation.

The adults were glaring at the scene, feeling powerless that they couldn't stop this travesty.

The villains were a bit put off by this, with one exception, and were praying that it would end soon.

**Tyrian then kneels in front of his boy, grabs his arm with his free hand so that he couldn't escape, and smiles insanely wide as he puts the blade in his trembling mouth. "**_**He sticks the blade in my mouth- 'Let's put a smile on that face'"**_

The scene then changes back to the present, many sighed in relief, but the last bit made a few people throw up at what the father did to his son.

"**and..." The Joker looks up at the paled faces of the captured goons. He then looks directly at the camera and smiles. "Why so serious?" The Joker flicks his wrist, and the body guards flinch as Junior falls, dead.**

The audience was stunned, this was the second time he's done that now. They felt that he was aware of them watching him.

**The Joker turns to the guards, ripping the last of the trash bags from his person, and without a care of how his story affected everyone says, "Now, our organization is small, but we've got a lot of potential for aggressive expansion..." He grabs a pool cue, the same one that Junior used to play funny enough., "so which of you fine ladies and gentlemen would like to join our team?"**

**The three all nod in fear.**

**He then raises a finger to the air, as if remembering something important. "Oh, there's only two slots open right now, so we're going to have to have…" The Joker then snaps the pool cue in half over his knee, causing many to flinch at the sudden noise.**

"…**try-outs." He looks over the two ends, seeing which is sharper. He then drops the broken part in his left hand in the middle of the three. He then calmly walks away with a parting message "Make it fast."**

**By a silent command, Sun and the rest pushed the three to a bowed position, making them stare at each other as they left after their boss. The three stares at the jagged pool cue and then the twins look at each other. The sisters take a long look and then turn to the remaining guard.**

"Well he's dead." Roman remarked, still shaken up by the backstory that the Joker delivered. Neo was too, so much so that she didn't know what to think. The only thing she could do was to dry her tears.

Tyrian was giggling to himself over what his son did.

**The screen cuts to an exterior shot of a Hotel in the higher section of Atlas the following day.**

Many sighed in relief, happy that they wouldn't have to see anymore gore, at least for a while.

Those from Atlas were stunned to see that the city wasn't floating, temporarily forgetting that Dust isn't a thing here.

Tyrian was upset by all the negative response, he loved how this turned out, but he simply laid back in his seat to take another nap. He knew that nothing exciting was going to happen, and at least he got to see his _son_ in action.

**A bullhead then flies over and touches down on one of the hotel's twin landing pads. Two of Watts' VPs approach, as the vehicle powers down. Adrian gets out, and they shake hands. One of the VPs announces, "Welcome to Atlas, Mr. Polendina! Mr. Watts regrets he is unable to meet you in person. But with his current legal difficulties..."**

**Adrian nods in acceptance, "I understand."**

**Cut to the lobby of Watts' Industries. The VPs usher Adrian towards a security check area as the second VP says, "I'm afraid for security reasons I have to ask for your scroll."**

**Adrian simply hands his scroll to the nearby security guard, who puts it in a glass box underneath his station.**

**It then shows a large dining room overlooking the city, where Adrian and Arthur are seated in a table, eating lunch. Watts, after swallowing his food, takes a moment before saying "I must apologize for leaving Vale in the middle of our negotiations. This misunderstanding with the city's police... I couldn't let such a thing threaten my company (James: "'Misunderstanding' he says"). A businessman of your stature will understand. But with you here, we may continue."**

**Adrian nods, "Well, it was awfully nice of you to bring me out here in such style, Mr. Watts. Unfortunately, the reason I came here was to-"**

**Suddenly a ring tone is heard. Adrian pulls out a scroll. He presses the off switch and places it by his plate.**

"Hey, wait, I thought he gave his scroll to the guard at the lobby" Ruby said, having recovered somewhat from the last scene.

"Perhaps it is a second device, friend Ruby." Penny tries to offer an answer.

**Watts narrowed his eyes, "We do not allow scrolls in-" Adrian interrupts him "My apologies. Forgot that I had it to be honest. Anyway, the reason I've come all this way was to explain why we're going to have to put our deal on hold..."**

**Watts stares hard at Adrian furiously. Adrian just smiles.**

"**We can't afford to be seen to do business with... well, whatever it is you're accused of being. A businessman of your stature will understand." Adrian passive-aggressively mocks. Watts silently gets up. As he did, Adrian retrieves his scroll and stands as well.**

**Watts says, gritting his teeth as he does so, "I think, Mr. Polendina, that a simple call might have sufficed."**

Cinder giggled at this, taking pleasure in Watts' frustration while the man himself was mimicking his counterpart.

"**Well, I do love Atlassian cuisine. And Mr. Schnee didn't want you to think we'd been **_**deliberately**_** wasting your time."**

"**No, just **_**accidently**_** wasting it." Watts grounds out. Adrian laughs, "That's very good- '**_**accidently'**_**. Very good. I'll be sure and tell Mr. Schnee that he was wrong about you not having a sense of humor."**

She couldn't stand it and openly laughed at how angry 'her' Watts was becoming, and how his counterpart was being mocked.

**We cut back to the lobby as Adrian is walking through security again. He nods at the guard as he passes by, who bows in return, offering him back his scroll. He shakes his head and holds up the one he had. The guard, though confused as he was sure that he confiscated that, smiles and nods while putting the scroll back into the tray with several others.**

"Idiots. My company is protected by idiots." Watts didn't like how a member of his security was acting so incompetently. Cinder just laughed harder at that.

**The screen cuts to the inside of a cargo hauler. Two smugglers kept steal glances at Whitley as they worked, crouched at the rear in a balaclava and flight suit. The copilot, seeing that they were at their destination, signals Whitley who puts on his oxygen mask and stands up. The rear of the plane opens, he steps to the edge, and jumps.**

His sisters collectively hold their breathes, they didn't want to see him get hurt.

**The skies above Atlas shows that it's dawn out. Moving across the frozen tundra towards the lower levels of the city a tiny figure drops into frame, plummeting towards the snow-covered outskirts.**

**Seconds from impact, Whitley pulls the chute, and lands safely on the snow.**

The Schnees sigh in relief now that the danger has passed.

James on the other hand, narrowed his eyes. "Why didn't anyone ring the alarm. The sky is regularly patrolled so that trespassers can swiftly be apprehended. In fact, he should've already been arrested and sent to prison by now."

The sisters flinch at the truth of his statement and couldn't help wondering the same thing.

"Well Jack did say that there's no Grimm there. Maybe your precious security systems aren't as tight here Jimmy." Qrow was back it seems, drinking from his flask while making fun of his friend's country.

**It cuts to the city beneath a freeway, Whitley is walking down the sidewalk as he goes inside the entrance of one of the nearby skyscrapers.**

**It then shows him stepping inside a somewhat crowded elevator. As it takes him to his floor, he takes out a disposable camera. Once the elevator stops, he steps out to a beautiful view of the city below. He takes his camera and lines up a shot like any of the tourist next to him.**

"Smart, hiding in plain sight." Cinder said after recovering from her laughter.

**Adrian's voice could be heard. "There's a better view from the peak tram." Whitley turns to find Adrian standing there, a street map in his hands.**

**He smiles, "How's the view from Watts' Industries?"**

**Adrian sighs in response. "Restricted. Watts' holed up in there good and tight. Here..." He shows Whitley his scroll. The screen displays a 3-d map of Watts' office suite.**

"So cool." Ruby and Velvet were stunned by the level of sophistication they were seeing. Many of their friends nodded in agreement.

**Whitley takes the phone, impressed by his friend's work. "What's this?" Adrian says, "I had R&D work on it. It sends out high frequencies and records the response time to map an environment." He smiles.**

Many were more impressed by the explanation given. James made a note to have his own R&D work on this to see how effective it could be.

**He nods. "Sonar. Just like a b-" "Submarine. Like a submarine." Adrian interrupts, already knowing where his mind would reach. He nods again, "And the other device?"**

**Adrian discretely points to a large building, 'Watts' Industries' sign on the front. "In place."**

**Whitley nods, moving away. "Mr. Schnee?" he stops and turns back. "Good luck." He nods and walks away.**

"It's nice to know that there's people watching out for him." Blake comments on it. She turns to Weiss, "Don't you think so Weiss?"

Weiss nods, frowning on the inside since he's all alone with their father back in their world. Winter heard the question and frowns, no doubt having the same thoughts.

**We cut to an exterior shot of Atlas at night. The view moves towards the tallest building in the glittering skyline. Whitley is there, crouched next to the pointed roof. The blades of his gauntlets then click into place, and he puts on his helmet-like cowl, his cape replaced with a pack for some reason. He stands up, pulling two black boxes from his belt. He clicks the two together and unfolds them into a rifle-like device.**

**Now as Batman, he places the device close to his face, eyes looking down the built-in scope. He pauses for a bit, looking at a second, lower building. He adjusts the setting and fires four times. Four small sticky bombs silently slap onto the glass of the second building.**

**The audience can clearly see that they have visible timers which are counting down.**

**We cut back to the now closed lobby of Watts' Industries, where Adrian's scroll glows in the box under the security guard's desk, characters racing across the screen. Suddenly the monitor on top of the desk flickers off, the lights dim down, and all the security doors in the front of the building open at once.**

"That's so cool!" Nora whispered. Ren looked at her in confusion and asked why she was doing that. "Duh Renny, this is suspense. Read the mood better." She quietly reprimands him.

**The guard sees this and grabs his radio, calling for help...**

**Back to the rooftop, Batman launches into the glittering night, dropping from the tall tower. His pack then bursts open, becoming his bat wings. He uses them to glide down to the lower building, streaks around it a few times to get the proper height, banking hard to line up the shot...**

Many are at the edge of their seats.

**Back to Watts' office the man is talking on his scroll, staring at a profit projection on a nearby monitor, when suddenly the room goes dark.**

**Back outside, as Batman hurtles towards the glass he collapses his wings, wrapping his cape around himself at the last moment and bursts through the glass! Rolling across the floor in a flurry of broken glass...**

**In his office, Watts pulls out a pistol and steps into the hallway. His bodyguard are waiting for him, carrying flashlights.**

**He looks to his men, "Where the hell are the cops?" One answers with "They will arrive momentarily, Sir." He groans "What the hell am I paying them for?" They all then head for the stairwell.**

Ozpin and his allies grit their teeth at the level of bribery that the man admitted to.

**Outside the building, a small army of Atlas police, lead by a detective, are moving onto the building.**

**Back in the hallway, Watts and his men make their way out onto the mezzanine. Across the room, something makes a crashing noise. His men fan out, trying to cover the room with their flashlights. Suddenly, one of the flashlights goes dark. Then another. Someone screams.**

Watts groans at how useless his men are here.

**Watts fires once, then twice. The muzzle flash from his weapon lighting up the room for split second.**

**Outside the cops are swarming into the building. Security from the lobby directs the detective on where to go...**

**Back inside his office, Watts locks the door and reloads his gun. The door is kicked open and he fires again. No one is there. He stares at the empty frame, finger restless on the trigger. From his right- a noise. He turns and fires at the sound. In the muzzle flash, Batman bears down on him like a demon. He manages to fire several more times before Batman tackles him down.**

**Batman pulls out a small pack and straps it onto Watts. As he does this, the screen look to the sticky bombs for a split second, the counter hitting 0. The detective and the cops finally arrive and bursts into the room. They see Batman and raised their weapons, but he simply uses Watts as a human shield. "Let him go and put hands on your head!" He orders him.**

"You'll never take him alive, Coppers!" Nora shouts out, forgetting the reason to be silent. The sisters feeling scared when they heard that.

**As they stand there, the wall and ceiling behind Batman and Watts explodes, revealing the dawn sky above Atlas. The cops were stunned for a bit, not expecting that, and looked around as he hears a low rumble...**

**Batman jerks the ripcord on Watts' pack. The cops cower as a weather balloon pops out of the pack, unreeling high-test nylon as it floats up into the air. The cops cock their weapons, and Watts looks up, bemused. The weather balloon is now about two hundred feet up, swaying gently. The rumble builds...**

**Suddenly, a massive cargo plane roars over with a large 'P' on the side. The front of the plane snags the line, and suddenly Watts and Batman are yanked through the hole.**

**Lau screams like little girl as he and Batman soars up into the sky. The detective runs to the edge and looks up. Batman and Watts are gone.**

"YES!" Many of the students shouted, celebrating that he got away with the target.

"Hah hah, you're going to jail~!" Yang taunted the man sitting as he seethed at the thought of being captured. Cinder's renewed laughter and Salem's surprising giggles over the way he screamed certainly wasn't helping.

**We cut to Ozpin's office back in Vale the following morning as the man is looking through case files. Blake bursts in. "Uh Oz, you're gonna want to see this."**

**Outside the building, Ozpin follows Blake through a crowd of excited cops. On the ground, leaning on one of the support pillars, is Watts. A sign is taped to his chest: 'I need a home please.'**

Cinder's laughter reaches a new height and Watts is glaring at the screen while gritting his teeth in rage. 'how dare that child do this to me!'

**It then cuts to the inside of an interrogation room where Watts is sitting next to his sleazy lawyer. Glynda then walks in.**

"**Alright, just give us the money and we'll cut a deal." Watts just smirks, "The money is the only reason I'm still alive."**

**She leans forward, speaking softly but clearly, reminding everyone of their own Goodwitch. "You mean when they hear that you've helped us they're going to kill you?" His lawyer immediately tries to bait her. "Are you threatening my client?" She shakes her head "No, I'm just assuming your client's cooperation with this investigation. As will everyone" she hinted at the end.**

**She then moves to the door while passing a remark. "Enjoy your stay in County, Mr. Watts."**

**Watts suddenly says "Wait."**

"Hmm, I wonder what it is your counterpart is doing Arthur." Salem lightly glares at him, clearly remembering what the Joker said of his character. Watts was sweating bullets at the scrutiny. all while silently praying that his other isn't going to do what he thinks he's about to.

**Glynda stops. "I won't give you the money, but I'll give you my clients. All of them."**

The glare hardens.

**She turns around with a smirk and her arms extended. "You were a glorified accountant. What could you have on all of them that we could charge?"**

**Watts smirked in pride. "I'm good with calculations. I handled all their investments. It's all in one big pot."**

**In the observation room right next to them, James hits a buzzer. He then turns to Ozpin. "I've got it. RICO. If their money was pooled, we can charge all of them as one big criminal conspiracy." Ozpin looks at him intrigued.**

The headmaster was curious as well. "What is your counterpart planning here, James?"

James didn't say anything, but he had some idea and smiled in anticipation.

"**Charge them with what?"**

**Glynda enters from the side-door as James explains. "In a RICO case if we can charge any of the conspirators with a felony-" "We can charge all of them with it." She interrupts, having the same idea.**

Now James was smiling broadly, theory confirmed.

Meanwhile Salem's eyes are starting to grow. Watts feels like he's about to shit a brick.

**James nods at Glynda, excited.**

**Back in the interrogation room, Glynda comes back in. "Mr. Watts, do you have details of this communal fund? Ledgers, notebooks...?"**

**He just smiles. "In exchange for immunity, protection and a chartered Bullhead back to Atlas."**

**She nods. "Once you've testified in open court. So, with your clients locked up, what going to happen with all that money?" Watts smiled broadly "Like I said- I'm good with calculations."**

Suddenly ropes started to appear, to everyone's surprise, and restrain Salem. Just in time too since she was already about to pounce on Watts. Said man just sat on the opposite side of the villain's side, that way if he ever had to run there are plenty of bodies to slow her down.

Jack just rubs his forehead in agitation. "Please don't kill your million, Salem. Blood stains are hard to wipe off the furniture." Watts glared at him for the minion label, but paled when he mentioned the blood staining part. The inhuman growl coming from his mistress wasn't helping.

**Back in the observation room, James and Ozpin watched the interaction. "He can't go to County. I'll keep him here in the holding cells." Ozpin said.**

**James looks back, "What is this Ozpin, your fortress now?" Ozpin looks at him in exasperation. "You trust them over at County?" He immediately counters, "I don't trust them here."**

"**Watts stays." He strongly proclaimed. James sighs, but nods in acceptance. "It's your call, Lieutenant. Pray that your right."**

**He nods. "I am, counselor."**

**Later that day a press release was announced. James is seen, standing in front of a small crowd of reporters. One reporter claims "The Atlassian government claim their international rights have been broken."**

**James smiles and shrugs. "I don't know about Mr. Watts' travel arrangements..."**

**We cut to the inside of a restaurant as the conference continues. James's press conference plays on a TV in the corner where the man grins at the camera, "...**_**but I'm sure glad he's back**_**."**

**Jacques and Roman are watching the TV, pissed beyond belief over the betrayal.**

"They're not the only ones, Arthur." Salem spits out as the ropes disappear, knowing that she won't go berserk again anytime soon. Watts is still cowering in the corner.

**Jacques looks at the screen. "I put the word out. We hire the Joker." He looks to the side, "He was right. We must fix this real problem, and fast." Roman says nothing, going back to his food, but silently agreeing with him. He shakes his head and Spots Ozpin walking over dangling a pair of handcuffs.**

**Oz nods at the TV. "Our boy looks good on the tube."**

**Jacques just smiles dismissively at him. "You sure you want to embarrass me in front of my friends, Lieutenant?" Oz just smirks and shakes his head as several officers come inside the restaurant "Oh Don't you worry… they're coming, too." The cops then arrest the criminals there, with Roman still trying to finish his lunch.**

"That's a dick move you know. Forcing someone from finishing their lunch like that." Roman said, not amused by the fact that he was arrested so easily.

The good guys ignored him though in favor of celebrating on a job well done.

**It cuts to various locations in the city, where police cruisers are stopping near every neighborhood. Then it shows cops loading various criminals inside.**

**Inside a Vale courtroom the judge, a Winter Frost, is seen reading the list of charges from her stack of papers.**

"Oh, so I am a judge in a court of law? Interesting" Winter remarked, surprised that she made an appearance, but nodding at her counterpart's career.

James was chuckling good-naturedly. "Well that doesn't surprise me. You would make an excellent judge." Winter thanked her superior, pride in her posture.

"**...849 counts: racketeering, 246 counts: fraud, 87 counts: conspiracy of murder..." As she lists them off, she is placing the already read papers into a pile but stops when she sees something. Winter turns a page and sees a playing card innocently sitting there. It was a Joker card.**

Many were shocked at the sheer _amount_ of crimes that these criminals committed, but they were feeling despair at the Joker card sitting there. Many remembered what he last said to the mob bosses. "_Here's my card_." They see the card, and many can't help the shiver from crawling up their spines. 'How did he manage to put that there?'

**She glances at it, curious, and puts it to a side to continue with her case. "...how do the defendants plead?"**

**An army of defense lawyers were seen, all yelling at once that their clients were innocent. She turns to the stenographer as she looks back, not knowing what to write despite her remarkable skills.**

**We cut to City Hall, where we are inside the Mayor's office. Here we see Port, Commissioner Weiss Frost, and Ozpin look up as James enters.**

"huh. Yeah I can see it." Yang said, thinking that her teammate _would_ be perfect for such a job.

Weiss didn't care, she was just glad that she was still Winter's sister in this universe. The feeling was mutual for the young woman.

**Port was frowning at his new guest. "JAMES! What was that circus?!" James shrugs at the tone of voice his boss took. "I asked Ozpin to make some arrests." Weiss looks at the report in her hands, "Five hundred and..."**

"**Forty-nine, ma'am." Ozpin supplied her with the rest. Turns to nod at James in approval. James grins back.**

"Holy Shit!" Qrow spat out his drink to shout, not expecting that high a number.

He wasn't the only one. Ozpin and Glynda patted their friend on the shoulder for the success he made while the said man was bursting with pride. The students congratulating him certainly helped.

**Port was speechless. "549 criminals in one day?! How did you convince Winter to hear this farce?"**

**James smirked. "She shares my enthusiasm for justice. After all, she is a judge." The woman in the audience agreed with that assessment.**

**Peter started to chuckle at that as he sat down to lean on his chair. "Even if you blow enough smoke to get convictions out of her, you'll set a new record at appeals for quickest kick in the ass."**

**James shook his head. "It won't matter. The head bosses will make bail, sure... but the mid-level guys. They can't, and they can't afford to be off the streets long enough for trial and appeal. They'll cut deals that include some jail time. Think of all you could do with 18 months of clean streets."**

Many frowned at the prospect of the criminals running free again but were content in knowing that while the head honchos will walk, the mid-level goons will not escape. The amount of time where they'll be gone also helped to calm them down.

**The Mayor waves Ozpin and Weiss out of his office. "The public likes you, James. That's the only reason this might fly." He stands up and goes over to a mini-bar and pours himself a drink. "But that means it's on you. They're all gonna gun after you, now." He looks back to James. "Not just the mob... politicians, journalists, cops- anyone whose wallet's about to get lighter. Are you up to it?" James smiles at the challenge.**

The man sitting down puffs his chest out, showing that he's not afraid.

**He sees it and smiles as he moves to the window overlooking the city. "You better be. They get anything on you... those criminals will be back on the streets..." he turns to look out of the window at a quiet Vale. "Followed swiftly by you and me."**

**BANG! A dark shape cracks the glass in front of the Port's nose. James rushes to the window and looks out to see what the hell that was...**

Everyone jumped at the sudden scare. Then when they saw just what impacted the glass, several shouted in fear. Winter and Weiss placed their hands over their mouths at what- no _who_\- they saw.

**Outside City Hall, pedestrians look up. One screams, another points up. Five stories up... swinging from a flagpole... is Batman, hanging by his neck dead. His mouth roughly painted in a demonic clown smile.**

"Whitley!"

(AN: I wanted to end it here as a cliffhanger, but I thought that since it's Halloween I figured I should keep going.)

**Moments later, we see that Batman is being lowered from the flagpole by a crane and some rope. It is here that some in the audience saw something peculiar.**

"Hey guys," Ruby asked, gaining her friend's attention, "why does Whitley's costume look different?" They look back to see what she meant, and then they saw it.

"Yeah, you're right Rubes" Yang nodded, "It looks like the same suit that those fakes we saw wore."

Weiss and Winter saw the similarities and slumped in relief, glad to know that they didn't just see their 'little' brother's corpse swinging around like a criminal. Then they tensed again, it wasn't their brother but it was someone's dead body out in the open.

**As the body was lowered, the view closes in to something small pinned to his chest by a knife. To their collective horror/intrigue it was another playing card. Another Joker.**

**The students felt another chill, if the clown makeup wasn't enough of a hint on who did this, then the Joker card was.**

**Ozpin moves closer to the body and sees the card. After putting on some spare gloves so as to preserve any evidence, he carefully takes the knife out and takes the card to inspect it. He flips it over and sees a message on the that side. The writing said 'WILL THE REAL BATMAN PLEASE STAND UP?'**

**We now cut back inside Whitley's penthouse an hour or so later, where the man comes into the living room, excitement in his movements. Nearby Klein is supervising the party arrangements for James' fundraiser.**

"Oh good, we don't have to see what's gonna happen." Glynda sighed in relief, not wanting for her students to see the hung body anymore, nor anything else as horrible for a while (AN: Yeah that won't last long.).

**He goes to his friend and asks "How's it coming along Klein?"**

**"I think your fundraiser will be a great success, sir." The butler responds in pride.**

**He straightens his suit as he asks his next question. "And why do you think I wanted to hold a party for Mr. Ironwood?"**

**Klein smiled at him as he shrugged, "I just assumed it was your usual reason for socializing beyond myself and the scum of Vale's underbelly: to try and impress Miss Goodwitch."**

And now Glynda felt a bit sick for the reminder of what the boy is still trying to do, while Ozpin and Qrow were snickering quietly and James was glaring at the screen.

**Whitley shook his head and looked at him, with a small blush no less, as he said, "Very droll my friend. But very wrong. Actually, it's James. You see..." Whitley trails off on what he was going to say as he spots something on the television behind him. It shows the Batman hanging from a post, framed by a title in bottom of the screen that reads 'Batman Dead?'.**

Everyone tensed at the news report, and Tyrian wakes up again as he felt a sudden feeling of pride for some reason.

**The image cuts to Lisa in the studio. "...Police released a video footage that was found concealed inside the suit. Viewers be advised: the footage is disturbing."**

**The image within the TV cuts to a man in one of the makeshift Batman costumes. He was in some kind of bright, fluorescent-lit meat locker if the giant slab of beef was any indication.**

**Some in the audience gasped at the scene, wondering if the man tied up was the same one that was hanged. They then heard a dreadfully familiar voice of screen.**

**"Now please, tell them your name." The Joker said. The man weakly responds with "My name, is Leonardo Lionheart..."**

"No." Ozpin felt a sense of despair at seeing a counterpart of his fellow headmaster and friend in such a horrible position.

**"Are you the real Batman?" he asked as the camera readjusts its image a bit, some low squeaky noises emanating from the video. Leonardo says "...No."**

**"No?" "No." "No?" He laughs a bit at his response as he takes his mask off, showing his sweating face and damp hair. "Then why do you dress up like him?!" He then shows to the camera the mask, shaking it up and down like a piñata while giggling.**

Ozpin was getting pissed, his mug finally shattering under the constant abuse.

**In a fit of courage, he said "He's a symbol... A symbol that we don't have to be afraid of scum like you. . . " as it momentarily cuts to Whitley and Klein looking intently at the TV.**

**Cutting back to the footage, it shows Joker cupping his cheek, Leonardo whimpering. "Yeah~. But you do, Leo. You really do! Huh? Yeah..." As his whimpers grow in volume, Joker gently strokes his cheek with the back of his gloved hand, shushing him like a parent does a child whenever their scared.**

The audience is silent. It's like a train crash, it's horrifying to watch but they cannot look away.

Tyrian was munching on some popcorn while taking his scroll out to record this.

**The Joker then slaps both his cheeks as he asks, "So, you think the Batman's helped Vale become a safer place?" The man is too petrified to respond and just looks away.**

**"Look at me." He doesn't, and that just pisses him off "LOOK AT ME!"**

The screaming causes many to jump in their seats, hearts beating faster in slight fear.

**Leonardo finally looks up, still afraid. The camera then swings into the face of the Joker, showing his face in chalk-white makeup and red lipstick smeared over his scars. "You see, this is how crazy Batman's made Vale! You want order in this town? Batman must take off his mask...and turn himself in." Here he leans into the camera. "Oh yeah, and every day he doesn't, people will die... starting tonight."**

**As he says this last bit, he again looks to the audience. "I'm a man of my word~. HAHAHAHAHA!" The image then becomes blurry, the sounds of Leonardo and the demented laughter of the Joker the last things heard before the image cuts to static.**

Almost everyone was terrified when that scene ended. Tyrian just smiled in pride as he protectively held his recording to his chest.

**END.**

**Read & Review…**

**Oh God, that took forever to finish. I'm gonna take a few days off because I must prepare my house for Halloween. Y'all have a nice day, I'm going to lie down.**

**1\. I originally wanted to put the Atlas academy's name from before the Great War, but it would be weird since this takes place in Vale.**


	6. Why So Serious? Pt 5

**Chapter 5: "Why So Serious?" Pt. 5**

**Here's another chapter, and thanks again my good wo/man for the suggestion for Jaune's backstory.**

**Reviews!**

**Guest: Oh they will have a heart attack from the loss of all that wealth.**

**Colossus Bridger: Oh stay tune for that, one of my fans asked to help me with that.**

**ArcticKnight13: Winter Soldier someone has already done (they did the whole movie so no can do), never heard of Tokyo Ghoul to be honest, but the alley fight sure.**

**Fyr RedNight: will continue the rest of the movie, at this point I'm too invested in it to switch now.**

**Zathol: yes, I really should've done that, but I was too narrowminded, and stuck with Tyrian and how mini-Jaune was at his 'mercy'.  
**

**Disclaimer in the prologue**.

Jack paused the viewing for a bit, letting the audience come to terms to what they witnessed. He looked around to see what their reactions may be.

The students were all pale and in tears. They knew full well that Jaune was someone who always tried to keep his promises, so they knew that the Joker wasn't bluffing. The way he looked at them as he said, "_I'm a man of my word~_." got to them. He was clearly making fun of their Jaune while subtly telling them that he IS Jaune, a potential future that he may become.

The teachers were horrified of Leonardo's last moments. Glynda had a hand covering her mouth, trying to keep the sobs from escaping. James and Ozpin were seething in rage of their fellow headmaster's brutal death. Qrow, Raven, Vernal (once she saw her leader doing so), and Tai simply closed their eyes and bowed their heads in respects for the man.

Hazel and Watts were disturbed by the scene. Sure, they knew about Tyrian's tendencies for torture, but they've very rarely seen the acts themselves. Speaking of the man, Tyrian was still crying prideful tears while re-watching the recording like a proud father would.

Roman, Emerald and Mercury were creeped out by the display. The latter two hugging each other in fear despite how much they hated it (and each other), while the former was shakily trying to light one of his cigars to help him calm down; Neo though was panting heavily, blushing like crazy and furiously rubbing her legs together. Her eyes burning with lust.

Lastly, Cinder and Salem didn't care. At least not beyond feeling pleased at how their enemies were reacting to this. All they did was smirk at watching them squirm.

After a couple minutes, and everyone was calmed down, he un-paused the viewing.

**The scene opens to a warehouse, where several people are working inside with various chemicals. The guards keeping guards are all wearing Joker masks.**

They tensed, wondering what they'll see next. Ozpin was curious about their work, 'What are you planning now, Mr. Arc?'

**It then shows the Joker leisurely taking a stroll to the goon he put in charge here. "Oh Sage, just the man I wanted to see~." The man turned around, in his hands is a small bottled container holding a sort of green liquid. **

"**Hey boss." He smiled maliciously at his leader.**

"**Sooo…" The Joker began, "is the **_**project**_** finished yet?" He frowned when his underling sighed and sadly shook his head.**

"**I'm sorry boss, the stuff is taking a lot of time to process. What I'm holding?" He raises his hand with the container, "is all we managed to make."**

**Joker narrowed his eye, "Sage. It's been 4 days, **_**and**_** you have a whole warehouse of hired help, how can that be it?"**

"Oh boy, he looks mad." Nora said, shaking a bit at the Joker's anger.

The criminals lost some interest, seeing that he may be working on a type of drug.

"**I'm sorry boss," he tries to defend himself. "It's just that the ingredients are rare, and even with Junior's connections, we just can't get to them fast enough."**

**The Joker closes his eyes and sighs. He then reaches into his pockets, much to the fear of Sage and the heroes, and says "Oh well." He shrugs, much to the people's shock at his nonchalance, "I knew that it would take a long time. Besides," he takes the container out of his man's hands, "this much will do nicely."**

Now the heroes were on edge, they didn't like how he phrased that.

The villains on the other hand were curious of what was inside the bottle and what the affects potentially were.

**The scene changes to the packed inside of Schnee's penthouse, much to the relief of many, in the evening. There they see James and Glynda getting off the elevator. He stands in awe of the penthouse and all its guests.**

**Glynda looks to her date, smirking at his expression, and says "Now I've seen it all: James Ironwood, scourge of Vale's underworld, scared stiff by the trust fund brigade." She smiled at her teasing.**

That got a few stiff chuckles from the audience, desperately trying to take their minds from before.

**Glynda then spots someone and darts off, James desperately calling out to her so that he wouldn't be alone. "Glynda-"**

**Just then Klein's voice was heard, "A little liquid courage, Mr. Ironwood?" James turns to see Klein with drinks on a silver tray. James graciously takes a glass. "Thanks. Klein, right?"**

**Klein nods while smiling, "Indeed, good sir."**

"**Ah, Glynda talks about you all the time. You've known her, her whole life?"**

Glynda, after recovering a bit, was shocked that her counterpart knew this man for so long.

"**Not yet, sir." James smiled and warily surveys the crowd for something. "Any psychotic ex-boyfriends I should be aware of?"**

**Klein's response got a few smiles from the audience. "Oh, you have no idea."**

**He then leaves to serve other guests. James was standing there, puzzled and a bit afraid if he was being honest.**

**Just then a loud roar is heard, drowning out any conversation. The crowd reacts to it as James looks outside to see…**

**Cut to just outside the penthouse, where everyone sees a custom-built bullhead touching down, the snowflake design stamped on its side showing just who it belonged to. The man himself spills out with a clutch of supermodels to his sides... **

By now everyone recovered somewhat, and Whitley's sisters facepalmed at his most unbecoming behavior. Qrow's wolf whistling and Yang's laughter certainly didn't help.

**As they enter the penthouse from the helipad elevator, Whitley says boisterously "Sorry, I'm late- glad you started without me! Now, where's Glynda?!"**

**Both Glynda's cringe at her name being called out. She tries to hide but Whitley spots her. "Oh, there she is. Everyone, Glynda Goodwitch. My oldest friend. When she told me that she was dating James Ironwood, the first thing I said to her was '…the guy from those Oum-awful campaign commercials?'"**

**Laughter erupts as James shifts a bit, blushing in embarrassment.**

The man in the audience was also red in the face, but it was in anger of his counterpart being laughed at like that. 'That little shit. He is dead!'

**Whitley just continues with "'I Believe in James Ironwood.' Nice slogan, James. Definitely caught Glynda's attention."**

Qrow, Tai, and most of the students were laughing. "It's like a roast in honor of you Jimmy!" Qrow started to wheeze after he said that, very out of breath from laughing so hard. The students just laughed harder at that.

Weiss, Winter, and James all glared at the man. However, James' glare lessened when he saw that Ozpin was quietly chuckling and Glynda was visibly trying not to laugh. Now he just sulked.

"**But then I started paying attention to James, and all that he's been doing as our new DA, and you know what? I too believe in him. By his watch, Vale can feel a little safer. A bit more optimistic. So, get out your checkbooks and let's make sure that he stays right where all of Vale wants him…" He raises his glass. "Well, all except Vale's criminals of course. To Vale's bright future, James ironwood!" He finished as everyone toasted to the man, applauding the speech.**

**James smiles, accepting the toast.**

'He's still dead meat if I ever get ahold of him.' James, while appreciating the speech, still didn't like how he was humiliated by that annoying man.

**We cut to the MCU with Blake catching up to Ozpin, holding paperwork in her hands.**

**Blake hands over the paperwork. "You know that Joker card that was pinned to the body? Forensics found three sets of DNA."**

**Ozpin looks over the information, "Any matches?" he asks as he goes over them.**

"**All three." Was her response. Ozpin stops and turns to face her.**

**Blake continues with her report, "The DNA belongs to Judge Winter, DA James and Commissioner Weiss."**

"How did he manage to get ahold of all their DNA?" Roman asked, curious over how he managed to do that. Neo shrugged.

**Ozpin narrowed his eyes. "The Joker's telling us who he's targeting. Get a unit to Winter's house and tell Adam to find James. Get them both into protective custody. Where's the Commissioner?"**

**Blake says, "Still at City hall."**

"**Seal the building. No one gets in or out 'till I get there." He orders as he leaves the building.**

Weiss and Winter were now scared. Their siblings were now in the crosshairs of the Joker.

**Cut to an exterior shot of a balcony in the penthouse, Whitley walks out to the edge and looks** **over Vale. He then hears someone behind him, tuning to look he sees Glynda, glaring at him.**

"**You know, James may not know you well enough to understand when you're making fun of him. But I do."**

**Whitley shakes his head. "I meant every word." He then moves closer to Glynda and gently places his hand on her arm. **

'Take your hands off her!'

**He continues with "The day you once told me about, the day when Vale no longer needs Batman. It's coming."**

**Glynda looks at Whitley as he moves closer to her, uncomfortable.**

"**You can't ask me to wait that long." Glynda shakes her head as she says this, but he doesn't listen. Now taking both arms, he looks at her in excitement. "But it's happening right now. James is that hero. He locked up half the city's criminals, and he did it without wearing a mask. Vale needs a hero with a face."**

**Just then James' voice is heard off screen. "You sure can throw a party, Whitley, I'll give you that. Thanks again. Mind if I borrow Glynda?"**

"Awkward~" Nora sings.

Glynda meanwhile nods her head at the request, "Yes, please do. I don't mind." James smiled giddily.

**Glynda glances back at Whitley as she moves to James' side. Whitley watches them expressionless. **

**We cut to a street at an expensive looking part of the city. There we see two men in suits knocking at a brownstone building. The door opens, revealing Judge Winter. The two men hold up police badges.**

"Oh good. The police are here to keep you safe, sister." Weiss sighs in relief, knowing that her older sister has protection now. Winter nods, still worried. She hopes that Ozpin can save Weiss.

**Cut to City Hall, Ozpin enters through a tight police presence at the doors. Inside the Police Commissioner's office, Ozpin enters to find Weiss being flanked by armed cops.**

Now Winter sighs in relief. 'She's safe from that maniac. Good.'

**Weiss did not look amused by the level of protection around her, and she glared at her lieutenant. "Ozpin, what the hell are you playing at?" She sees Ozpin checking the window. He then turns to address his men. "We're secure here. I want a floor-by-floor search of the entire building done now."**

**He turns to Weiss. "I'm sorry, ma'am. We may believe that the Joker has made a threat against your life."**

**She just sighs and goes over to her desk. "Oz, you're unlikely to discover this for yourself, so let me give you some advice: The Police Commissioner gets a LOT of threats" Weiss sits down and pulls out a bottle of whisky and a tumbler from a drawer. She then continues with her 'lesson'. "And I have found the appropriate response to these situations a long time ago..."**

Weiss cringes slightly at her counterpart's 'solution', being reminded of her mother's habits and how she was seemingly following in her footsteps.

**We cut back to Winter's home as the second man are waiting by the Judge's car. "Ozpin wants me to go right now? Where **_**am**_** I going anyway?" She asks as she was being calmly escorted.**

**One of the men nods as he reaffirms his orders. "Yes ma'am. You must understand, these are dangerous people, secrecy is important for your safety. Even we don't know where you're going."**

**He then hands Winter a sealed envelope. She takes it as the second man opens the car door. **

"That's smart. It allows for the least possible leaks if the officers don't know where I'm going since we don't know who's on the mob's payroll." Wiess nods in acceptance.

Roman smirks at her, "Unless the message is intercepted by them of course~." Neo silently laughs as Weiss stiffens in fear, and Winter glares at the two.

**The other officer says "Get in and open the envelope once you're ready to leave. It'll tell you where you're headed." They then head to their own car.**

**Winter climbs in and watches them drive away. She opens the envelope and pulls out a sheet of paper. Only one word is written in it: 'UP'. Winter looks up.**

**Winter's car suddenly explodes, heaving the car upwards in a massive fireball.**

"SISTER!" Weiss was horrified, she just saw her older sister die in front of her. Winter went over to comfort her as she started to tear up. 'How could this happen?'

Roman and neo smugly leaned back at being proven right.

**The car falls back down, and after a moment, burning debris begins to flutter down around the area.**

**They were Joker cards.**

Roman and Neo were laughing quietly, getting the inside joke.

Cinder was snickering, she too got the meaning. 'UP. Oh my, that was clever of you Mister Arc.'

The other villains were impressed while the good guys were horrified.

**The image cuts to Weiss's office as she pours herself a glass of whisky. As she does this, she says "You're going to have to explain to my husband why I'm late for dinner, lieutenant."**

**Ozpin was looking over at his boss's actions as he said, "Sir, the Joker card had a trace of **

**your D.N.A. on it-" A sudden bang at the door is heard. Ozpin quickly pulls his weapon, then opens it. **

**Oobleck enters the office and hands over a piece of paper as Oz holsters his pistol once he saw who it was. "It's just the normal number of bad guys in the building Oz, and they're all city employees. Here's a list."**

**Weiss stood up, indignant over what Ozpin said. "How'd the hell did they get my D.N.A.?"**

"That's what I want to know." Cinder really wanted to find out how the Joker did that so that she can replicate it later. 'May be useful in getting access to the Vault.' (1)

**Ozpin looks at Oobleck's list as he responded, "Somebody with access to your house or office must've used a tissue, or a glass…"**

**Ozpin, realizing the reason, spins around and tries to stop her from drinking the liquid.**

"**No Wait WAIT-!" He yells but he was too late, Weiss is already choking. She leans over the desk, spilling her whiskey over, and slumps to the ground. Oz goes to her as he orders Oobleck to grab a medic. The spilled 'alcohol' on her desk is smoking, slowly eating away at the wood.**

Now Winter was distraught, her sister was poisoned. She was joined by her sister's partner in the embrace, "NO! WEISS!"

Qrow looked at his flask… and proceeded to cap it and put it away.

**We now go to the penthouse again, inside a kitchen as James leads Glynda there, away from the crowd.**

**He then remarks "You cannot just leave me on my own with all these people."**

**Glynda looked amused by it. "The whole mob's after you, and you're worried about some rich guys?"**

**James looks behind him, checking to see if anyone's eavesdropping, then turns back. "Well compared to this, the mob doesn't scare me. Although I have to say; them gunning for you makes you see things more clearly."**

**She raises an eyebrow. "Oh really?" she asks. He nods back, "Of course. It makes you think about what you couldn't stand losing… And who you want to spend the rest of your life with..."**

**Glynda just looks at him and smiles. "The rest of your life, huh?" she teases "That's a pretty big commitment."**

**He sighs, "Not if the mob has their way." She walks closer to James and hugs him, "Don't. Don't do that to yourself"**

**James gently pulls her away but still within arm's reach. "Okay. Let's be serious then. What's **

**your answer?"**

**Glynda looks at him. "I don't have an answer."**

**In the living room, half the guests are lounging around. There is a knock at the front door.**

**Back in the kitchen, Glynda is looking at James. Torn. He sighs, "I guess no answer isn't 'no' then."**

**She shakes her head and tries to explain, "I'm sorry, James. I just..."**

**James 'figures' it out. "It's someone else, isn't it?" He looks around, then looks back to her, "Just please tell me it's not Whitley. The guy's a complete-" He is suddenly put in a sleeper hold by Whitley, Glynda wide-eyed at the display.**

"Holy crap, the other you is being choked out!" Qrow lightly mocks the general to relieve the tension.

"**What are you doing?!" Glynda whispers as she sees her friend choke out her boyfriend. James slumps, unconscious in Whitley's arms. **

**Klein goes over and opens it find Detective Adam, who's holds up his badge.**

Blake was still surprised that her ex was a cop and let out a small gasp at seeing him again.

**Whitley, as he drags the body to a nearby walk-in pantry, tells her "They've come for him." She looks back in alarm.**

**Klein beckons him inside when the man is pushed forward. Behind him is the Joker, a shotgun in his hands, and several of his goons next to him. "We made it."**

"On no…" Some whispered.

**In the kitchen, Whitley finishes putting James inside and closes the door. He then grabs a broom and pushes it through the handles. He then rushes past Glynda, leaving a last order to have her remain hidden.**

**Klein steps away from the clown as he raises his weapon to the air and shoots, the sound of the blast scaring everyone into silence.**

**The Joker and his thugs pour into the penthouse with their weapons pointed at the guests-turned-hostages.**

**The Joker looks to the silent masses, and smiling at them, he says "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen~. We're tonight's entertainment." He picks up an hors d'oeuvre and puts it in his mouth. As he tosses the stick back he says, "I only have one question: Where is James Ironwood?"**

The confirmation that he was going after James made many feel afraid for the man. He already killed two of the people he targeted in the same day, and now he was in the same building as his third and last one.

**Only silence answers him, causing him to roll his eyes but with his smile still on display. He walks over to a few of the guests, pointing his gun at them.**

**He spots a woman with a glass of champagne in her hands and takes it with no resistance. Most of the champagne spilled into the ground as he took it, but a few drops remained, so he shrugged and chugged the last of it down. After he finished, he gently places it on a nearby table.**

Roman nods, "While still obviously crazy, he still acts like a gentleman." Neo fanned herself jokingly.

**He steps next to a couple and as he asks his question, he slaps the guy to 'help' him jog his memory. "You know where he is? Know where he is?"**

**In a hallway, Whitley is walking in a brisk pace until he's spotted by a clown with a shotgun pointed at him. The clown says, "Hands up, pretty boy."**

The good guys tensed.

**Whitley quickly flips the shotgun around in the man's hands, uses it as a lever to snap his forearm, and smashes him in the jaw with the stock. All without breaking stride, field stripping the weapon and tossing the pieces in different directions as he walks away from the knocked-out goon.**

Now they celebrated over his win while the criminals roll their eyes at the incompetent thug.

**Back in the living room, Joker cups a man's jaw as he asks "You know where I can find James? I need to talk to him about something. Something, anything?" He puts his hand over the terrified man's head and mimics him shaking his head, "*sigh*No."**

**Back to Whitley, he exits the hallway and into a room occupied by two of his guests. Their ruffled clothing hinting what they were going before the Joker arrived.**

"Heh heh. Wow that must suck." Mercury chuckled at how the man was cockblocked while Emerald and Roman laughed.

**Whitley spares them a glance as they try to put on their clothes. He then walks to a nearby wall as the man asks what was going on and presses a hidden button, causing part of the wall to recess. He then pushes the door back.**

**Noticing this, the woman said with relief in her voice "Oh thank heavens, you got a panic ro-" however Whitley closes the door, locking it back in place. "…Oh, you've got to be shitting me."**

Cinder and Neo joined in on the laughter.

**The Joker moves through the terrified guests. Smiling as he holds another appetizer and eats it. "Come on you guys. I'll even settle for his loved ones..." He steps to one of the guests, a distinguished looking gentleman.**

**The old man says, "We're not intimidated by thugs like you."**

**The Joker stops and observes the man's face. He smiles affectionately at him as he puts his gun down on a table. "You know…you actually remind me of my father." He nods, then quickly grabs him by the back of his head with one hand and the other holding a knife to just outside his mouth. "I HATED my father."**

"Love you too, son!" Tyrian yelled as he laughed.

The students froze up in fear, remembering the last time he pulled a knife to someone's face while mentioning his father, and prayed that nothing bad will happen to him.

**Off screen, Glynda yells "Ok Stop!" Joker glances to his side, and there in her beautiful dress is the lady friend of his last target.**

"Ohhh shit." Some said. Whitley specifically told her to stay hidden. This was not hidden!

What made it worse was that they remembered the Joker mentioning that he would settle for James' loved ones.

**The Joker lets go of the old man and turns to Glynda. "Well hello, beautiful." He starts fixing his hair and points his knife at her like he would a finger. "You must be James' squeeze..."**

That last bit made the woman glare fiercely at the unflattering title.

"…**And you are beautiful." He finished once he got closer. He started to circle around her like a shark to his prey and saw her flinch away at his presence. He smiled at her as he stopped in front of her. "Oh, you look nervous… is it the scars? Wanna know how I got them?"**

"Not really, no. We already heard the story. The deeply disturbing story." Velvet said, curling into a ball.

"Speak for yourself." Tyrian scoffs at the girl, leaning in closer to hear his son's story again.

**He grabs her face, "Come here" he lightly says. She struggles, refusing to look at him, but as the knife is firmly in place she stops. "Look at me." She did.**

"**So, I had a wife, like you. Who was beautiful, like you..." He begins as the screen starts to ripple again.**

Everyone was surprised, this wasn't the story they were told before. Velvet uncurled herself in shock.

Tyrian frowned, not liking where this was heading.

**The screen shows a beautiful woman smiling at them, it was Pyrrha.**

"Wait, so Vomit boy married cereal-girl?" Yang asked, scratching her head in confusion. The girls who liked the blond all glared at the Spartan. Said girl wasn't paying attention though, she was too busy in la-la-land to care.

Tyrian started to grit his teeth.

"…_**Who tells me, that I worry too much. Who says I need to smile more**_**." It shows her and a regular Jaune sitting by a table, the young man looking miserable with Pyrrha trying her best to cheer him up. "**_**Who gambles away and gets in deep, with the sharks**_**." It cuts to him losing a bet and several shady-looking men approaching him afterwards. "**_**One day they carve her face, only we've got no money for surgeries. She can't take it**_**." It shows a vision of her going crazy. Her face is all cut up, her beauty forever marred.**

Her friends look on in horror, not expecting something like that to happen to her. If anything, they expected Jaune to have the scars placed on him.

Pyrrha's dream came crashing down when she saw that.

Neo smiled wickedly, nodding in satisfaction that the red-headed home wreaker was put in her place.

Tyrian nodded too. 'How dare she take my son from me!'

The rest looked on in morbid curiosity, wanting to know what will happen next.

**It cuts back to present as Joker presses the knife into her cheek. "I just want to see her smile again." His voice starts to break, causing many to sympathize for him. "I just want her to know that I don't care about the scars!" The screen turns back to the 'flashback'.**

**It shows Jaune, desperately trying to let Pyrrha know that he doesn't care what she looks like, but to no avail. In his desperation, he gets an idea. He goes to the kitchen and take a razor. "**_**So, I put a razor in my mouth**_**…" He puts it inside his mouth and starts to carve his smile despite the pain he's exhibiting "…**_**and do this, to myself**_**…"**

Everyone was disturbed by the amount of blood gushing from his self-mutilation. Well, almost everyone. Neo just sighed dreamily at the levels that this man was going through for his love, 'I just wish that he was doing that for me…'

**He then stops after the deed was done, and heads back to his still grieving wife and shows her the results. "…**_**And you know what?**_**" Once she saw what he did, she screamed in terror. "**_**She can't stand the sight of me**_**!" They see Pyrrha leave with a suitcase from her home, never to return. Jaune is left standing there in heartbreak. "**_**She leaves**_**…"**

Now many were crying from the tragic tale.

Even Salem was in tears. She remembered the tremendous efforts she took to have her love brought back, only for him to 'betray' her. This man willingly mutilated himself despite the pain he was obviously in, proving his strength and commitment to their relationship, only for that ungrateful brat to spit on it all.

Tyrian growled at how that little bitch left his poor, defenseless boy alone in the world. He's just simply ignoring the fact that the Joker _may_ have been lying about his last backstory this whole time.

"_**Now I see the funny side. Now I'm always smiling.**_**" The 'flashback' ends, and it shows how the Joker steps away from Glynda, crazy smile proudly on display.**

Pyrrha was besides herself with grief, sobbing into her hands as she saw her other leave, thus condemning Jaune to his horrible fate. Her friends were there, trying to calm her down.

The adults bowed their heads, knowing how madness can affect anyone, and how slippery a slope it can be to fall.

Ozpin closed his eyes to stop the tears from flowing, he remembered how he came back to life and betrayed the one he loved, thus leading to their little shadow war.

Jack paused the viewing again so that they could recover, but as he waited a portal just like the previous ones appeared. First came a note, and then...

**END**

**Sorry for cutting it short here, but I feel it was necessary. I mean if you saw a version of yourself do something that severely mentally damaged one of your loved ones, you would need a few minutes at least to grieve too.**

**Also, if they are too busy crying, then they wouldn't get to see what happens next.**

**1\. Remember, Cinder may know that the school has a hidden vault, but she doesn't know how to unlock it. She may need to use a finger identification, or DNA to open the vault, she doesn't know yet.**


	7. Why So Serious? Pt 6

**Chapter 6: "Why So Serious?" Pt. 6**

**Another day, another set of Reviews!**

**Guest****: it's not his definitive backstory, as a matter of fact, it was hinted last chapter that he was lying on both accounts.**

**IHateGenericCereal****: Thanks, I'm glad you like the story so far.**

**Zathol****: I know right. After a certain interrogation scene though, I doubt he'll be thinking about him for long though.**

**snow in the darkness****: unfortunately, I can't. Someone else had done that movie in its entirety, and it's actually very good with Jaune as Steve and Pyrrha as Bucky.**

**Agent-G****: it's a shame you think that, but I'm at least glad that you are seriously critiquing my work instead of just flaming it like some others seem to do.**

**12interestingname34****: thank you, glad that you think so.**

**Writer2018****: Thank you for watching out for me, I really appreciate it.**

**Guest****: I had to re-watch the party scene to make sure that I didn't make a mistake (I couldn't remember if it was his wife or his mother); and no, thankfully it was his wife that he was comparing to.**

**Loving the positivity everyone, really makes this all worth it. Now, onto story.**

**Disclaimer in the prologue.**

…A small ball falls on top of Jack's head and bounces off as he collapses with a yelp of pain, "Ow, my neck!"

The ball rolls a bit towards the audience before it stops. It then begins to bounce a bit before unfurling into a familiar shape, at least familiar to most of the students that is.

*Gasp*"Zwei!" Ruby shouted as she, Weiss and Yang leaped for the confused little corgi. Blake only hissed and jumped back to behind her seat.

Ruby was the first to pick the now excited dog and was the first to get licked in the face as well. Yang was next and began to pat his head while Weiss was last and got to scratch under his chin while cooing at the adorable little dog.

Tai and Qrow looked confused at the sight, they never thought that they would see the family dog appear like that, but were happy to see him nonetheless. Qrow especially loved how ice-queen junior reacted to seeing the little mutt.

Winter looked on in amusement on how her baby sister was acting with the dog, while at the same time restraining herself from the doing the same. She looked to the drunk and glared at his apparent amusement.

Everyone else was either curious about a dog coming here, or just didn't care and wished to continue with the viewing.

After recovering, Jack got up while loudly groaning "Oh yeah, no I'm fine. Really." He then picked up the note as got the attention of everyone. As RWY got back to their seats, with Weiss somehow being the one to hold the corgi much to the sisters' disappointment, he picked up the note and unfurled it to read what was written.

*Clears throat*"'_Hello everyone, you may not know me, but I happen to be the one that took you from your homes and families in order for you to view these universes_!'" He paused to see if they got it so far, by the number of glares he saw he believed they did.

"'_Now I know that many would be annoyed about this, but frankly, I don't care_.'" The glares increased, "'_Now I brought this little guy because with what will happen soon, you'll need all the comfort you need_. _Signed:_ _SGArkosfan, newborn god and author. PS. Happy Late Birthday Ruby_' Hmm, so that's who sent you people here. Damn, I also forgot her birthday too."

Ruby was just happy that Zwei was here, and secretly she was also rather proud that a god wished her a happy birthday.

Everyone was at least a bit disturbed. Why did another god need to bring in something that was meant to comfort them? What are they going to see that would require something like this? Also, what was with the name?

**We cut to the Joker coming closer to Glynda again after finishing his tale, only for her to knee him in the balls. He bends over and retreats a bit back.**

"Yeah, go Teach!" "Show him whose boss!" Coco and Yang cheered their professor with Zwei barking in encouragement as Glynda puffed her chest out in pride.

The men flinched and cupped their bits protectively. 'Ouch.'

**He just looks at her and smiles. "*wheeze* You have a little fight in you. I like that." He then straightens his posture and steps closer, as if the blow below the belt didn't do any damage.**

Now the men were in awe. 'How is he not on the ground, whimpering in pain?!'

The women were in shock, "Oh come on! How?! Was he wearing a cup?!" Yang yelled as she gripped her hair in frustration.

**Off screen a deeply gravelly voice said, "Then you're going to love me."**

**The Joker turns, only for Batman to slug him in the face with a left hook, spinning him down and disarming him in the process. The Joker's men then rush to attack him.**

The heroes cheer at the man coming to rescue the hostages, James begrudgingly thanking him for saving Glynda, at least in his head.

"How did those idiots not notice him?!" Roman, and some of the other villains, on the other hand seethed at the sheer level of stupidity these idiots were displaying.

**Batman takes them out two at a time, disarming thugs, breaking their bones ("Whoo! Break their legs!"). The Joker meanwhile gets back up and stomps his right foot, releasing a hidden blade from the toe of his shoe.**

**As one of his men got close enough to attack, his monkey tail revealing it to be Sun, he used his body as a distraction once he began to fight the Bat. He proceeds to kick Batman, jabbing him in between the armored plates covering his ribcage.**

"Oh no!" Some of the students yelled. They remembered that his new suit was more susceptible to knives.

**The blade got stuck after the second kick, and Batman, in response, hurls the Joker's body across the room. He gets up again as Sun lunges at Batman, but he quickly punches him in the face, knocking him out cold.**

**The Joker quickly goes to Glynda and presses another knife to her neck.**

**After disposing Sun, he turns around, only to stop at the sight. The Joker then grabs his discarded shotgun, knowing that he's safe so long as he keeps his meat shield within stabbing distance.**

Glynda gulped at her other's predicament.

**Batman narrows his gaze and says, "Drop the gun, Joker."**

**The Joker laughs a bit, and waves his gun in the air as he says, "Oh you want it? Sure. Just take off your mask and show us all who you really are…" his blade still on Glynda's neck.**

**Glynda tries shaking her head at Batman. The Joker then points his shotgun behind him and fires, blowing out the pane of glass and causing her to yelp in fright. The Joker then pushes Glynda to dangle out the window.**

Now she was sweating a bit. A fall from that high up would undoubtably kill her counterpart.

**Batman glares harshly at him. "Let her go."**

"Are you insane?!" Glynda screeched at this man's poor choice of words, causing many to jump in slight fright at the volume and the dog to whine at the pitch.

**The Joker seemed to think so. He raised an eyebrow, then shrugs "Ok. Very poor choice of words though~" He laughs and lets her go, causing her to fall onto a sloping glass roof, sliding towards the edge as Batman dives after her.**

Glynda pales at this, and her friends hold their breaths as they pray that he would make it.

"Hurry!" Ruby shouts as she bites her fingernails. Her friends giving similar words of urgency.

**Outside they drop as Glynda reaches out to him, screaming all the while, Batman grabs her just before they fell off the roof entirely. As they plummet to the ground, Batman takes out his grapple gun and fires at the nearby sign fixture of his family's symbol.**

**As they fall, he causes them to spin, slowing their momentum down significantly. Batman lets go of his grapple and envelopes Glynda just they slam into the hood of a parked taxi.**

**The driver inside screams as Batman and Glynda hit the roof, hurt but alive. **

"They're alive!" The students cheer.

The villains were disappointed. They wanted to see one of their more dangerous adversaries go squish.

The woman herself almost fainted from the suspense, Ozpin keeping her awake as Qrow and Tai sighed in relief.

Raven didn't say anything, but on the inside, she was happy that the counterpart of a woman that she respected was alright.

"Wait…" James said, cutting the celebration short. "…If Batman is with Glynda, then who is protecting those civilians at the party from the Joker?" And just like that, the suspense returns with a vengeance.

**Inside a car the Joker is seen, causing the good guys to sigh in relief and the villains in disappointment. The Joker looks back as his car speeds away. He's breathing hard, exhilarated at the confrontation. He touches the blood running down his sweaty white makeup from the punch he received as next him, Sun is rubbing the bump on his head.**

Blake slumps a bit that her friend was alright.

**He smacks the back of the driver's seat.**

**The driver looks back, showing Neptune's smiling face. "Where to now, Boss?" He asks as he turns back to look at the road. The Joker smiles, "Oh, I think it's time we visit a certain little birdy. Don't you?" He fiddles around with his little bottle.**

The adults look on sadly as they saw the boy happily working for that maniac.

The students felt the same, watching their friends be on the payroll of this psycho version of Jaune.

Everyone else wondered what he meant by the 'birdy' remark, as well as being reminded of what he had his men make.

**Back to the crushed cab, Glynda opens her eyes as Batman looks at her. "Are you alright?" He asks.**

"Oh, swell. Just fell from a few stories and landed on top of a car, but other than that, I'm fine." Glynda sarcastically said.

**She just nods, happy to be alive right now. **"**Let's not do that again, okay?" She said, not wishing to experience another life-or-death situation again. She looks around, "Is James-?" But her friend reassured her that he was safe. Glynda lies back, breathing deeply, then looks up at Batman. "Thank you."**

**Cut to the Major Crimes Unit (MCU) the next day.**

**Oobleck is seen talking to Ozpin, subdued.**

"**Oz, it's over."**

Many tilted their heads in confusion. 'What's over?'

**Oz shacks his head and tries to reassure his friend. "As long as they don't get to Watts, we'll still be able to cut off their wallets."**

**Oobleck was quick to shoot that down. "But the prosecution's over Oz." he sighs despondently, "No-one's willing to stand up in front of a Judge while judges and police commissioners are getting killed left and right."**

Now they remembered. Weiss and Winter held each other for support, while the other heroes bowed their heads in mourning.

**Ozpin remained adamant however. "What about James?"**

**Oobleck snorts and shakes his head, "If he's got any sense he's halfway to Menagerie (2) by now."**

**The door suddenly bursts open and James walks in, a fire in his eyes.**

"Good to see you haven't left yet, my friend." Ozpin says in relief. "Of course, Oz. it will take more than a clown to make me run." James reassures him.

Glynda meanwhile started to swoon at the man's expression onscreen.

**He looks to the two officers "So where do you keep your trash?" he asks. Ozpin at first looks at James, impressed. He then nods and motions him to follow.**

**Inside one of the special holding cells, Watts looks up as James walks in, holding a bulletproof vest.**

Salem nods in satisfaction that the traitor is currently caged like an animal. 'I approve, the traitor deserves it.'

**James tells him, "You're due in court. Here, I need to keep you alive long enough to get you on the record."**

**Watts looks at the 'protection' in amusement, and shakes his head, "No. You can't protect me, you can't even protect yourselves." He jabs at the man, reminding him of how well they protected someone last time.**

**James glares and throws the heavy vest at Watts anyway. "You refuse to cooperate on the stand, and you won't be coming back here. Oh no, your ass is going straight to county. How long do you calculate you'll last in there?"**

"Don't drop the soap." Yang taunted, and Watts grits his teeth.

**We cut to an exterior shot of an expensive-looking casino in the early morning. It then switches over to a parking lot at the back of the building, where multiple cars are parked with criminals coming out of them.**

"Now why does this scene look familiar?" Coco asks sarcastically.

**The scene changes to what looks like a corporate boardroom.**

**At the long table are most of Vale's remaining crime lords; the only ones not at attendance are Jacques and Roman, their seats currently empty. Several of the bosses are staring suspiciously at the head of the table, where the one who summoned them is seething in rage.**

**Raven was pissed.**

"Really? What else is new?" Qrow teasingly asks. Said woman glared as she tosses a handful of popcorn at him.

**She had recently found out that the Joker had murdered Junior. What few people knew was that the two were married. Even less knew that the twins that frequently protected him are their daughters. And now the Joker has them.**

"Wait, what?!" Raven, Qrow, Tai, and Yang yelled.

As they later three start to glare at the former, with the woman herself boiling at the thought of marrying such a weak man, Jack tells them "Before you flip out, remember that Yang was seen a grown up earlier, close to her own age in fact, so obviously she didn't have her." They eventually dropped the glares and returned to the screen.

**She was also angry that Gelé and Torchwick refused to show up. "Where are those two idiots?!" She shouted, her weapon left by her seat as she paced back and forth.**

**Just then a slow, familiar laugh started to echo throughout the boardroom, much to Raven's growing anger. The front doors slowly open, and the Joker strolls on in, Sun and Neptune on either side and mostly healed.**

Weiss and Blake sighed in slight relief. While yes, they still worked for that evil man, at least they were up and about now.

**The mob bosses look on in fear as the killer of one of their own just strolls on in. Raven was looking to her weapon as he sits down on the opposite end where Junior used to sit.**

"**Oh, I'm sorry, am I interrupting something? Because if I am, then I can always come back." the Joker asks as he points behind him, snickering how some of the bosses shook their heads rapidly. "Well, if not then I just came by to say that I'm almost done with my task and that-"**

**Raven impatiently interrupts him. "Where are my daughters, Joker!" The bosses flinch in fear at the tone, but that feeling quickly turned to shock once the words registered.**

**The Joker paused and looked at her, tilting his head as if deep in thought. "Who?"**

Raven growled at the disrespect he was giving her counterpart, while those that knew her snickered a bit.

**Raven narrowed her eyes, and as she was opening her mouth to scream at him again, he snapped his fingers and says, "Oooh, you mean the twins! Wait, they're yours?" He looks genuinely surprised by that. "Huh. Never would've guessed."**

"Yeah, neither could we." Yang grumbled.

"**Sun," he motioned to him, "Yeah boss?"**

**"Call them up." ****He orders as Sun nodded. "****You got it." He then takes out his scroll, and after calling the proper number, sets it on the table after putting it on speaker.**

"**MOM!" two voices called out in fear.**

"Those two are not mine." Raven immediately said, refusing to acknowledge those two as her own, while Yang was starting to get pissed over her calloused words.

"**Sweethearts!" She yelled in slight relief as she got closer to the device, much to Yang's surprise and jealousy. She then turned and glared at the Joker as he started to laugh at her. "What did you do to them?!"**

**He smiled as he rose up and walked close to her. "Who me? Nothing…." His smile turned, and he became serious. "…yet"**

**He then looked around at the mobsters as he announced, "You see, thanks to Junior's unfortunate passing, I now control a lot of his territory." His two goons nod in pride. "And now," he turns to face her again, "You're going to hand over yours."**

The audience looked shocked as Raven openly growled at him.

**Raven glared harder at him, "And why would I do that?" she gritted out.**

**Joker smirked, "Well~, if you don't, your little girls will just have to pay the same price as their father..."**

The villains nodded in respect while the heroes looked on in horror and disgust.

"**And if I refuse?" Raven asks, much to everyone's shock, hoping that she could bluff him. Joker shrugged. "I've already considered that possibility. Afterall, I know you can be rather stubborn."**

"**MOM! Please, just do what he says! We don't want to die!" the twins started to cry, begging for their mother to save them. Joker smiled, seeing the fear in the mother's eyes.**

"**Well, what's it going to be?" he taunts. Raven shakes in rage, but the sounds of her little angels crying drained the fight out of her. She sighed and slumps in defeat. "Fine. You win."**

Raven was infuriated at her other. 'She gave up way too quickly.' she raged in her head, but then she paused. 'What if it was Yang on the line?' She thought, then looked to her daughter and sighed. She knew what she would do. 'Damnit.'

**Joker laughed as the mobsters look on in surprise. "I knew you would see it my way." He picks up the scroll with his left hand, and after taking it off speakers, he says "You hear that girls? Mommy dearest complied to let you go."**

**He then walks over to her and raised his right hand, "Shake on it?"**

**She glared at him. She then said, "You will pay for this. I swear by my honor that I will personally hunt you down. I'll never stop until my blade pierces your heart."**

Raven and Vernal nods, knowing that she would make a similar promise to those that threaten the tribe.

The other parents, or those who were parents, also nodded. They would do the same if put in a similar spot.

**The Joker just nods. "Oh, I know. As I said, you can be very stubborn. Shake?" He insisted, still holding his hand up. She snarls as she does so. What she doesn't notice was what looked like a joy buzzer concealed in the Joker's palm.**

**As she shook his hand, 40,000 volts suddenly coursed through her body. Sparks start to emit from her as she screamed in pain. After a couple seconds of this, she lets go of his hand and falls backwards, dead.**

The room was silent. No one expected him to do that. Raven was put off by how she died. Her other's brutal electrocution shook her to her core as Vernal tried to console her leader.

The adults didn't know how to react. On the one hand, a notorious criminal was just killed. On the other, the Joker just got a lot more powerful.

**The other crime lords recoiled in horror. Before they can make a move, a squad of armed thugs with clown masks burst into the room. The Joker looked around and said, "Looks like Raven got a little hot under the collar." He snickered.**

**One boss yelled out "You're insane!" The Joker looked at him dully, "No shit, sherlock" He then addressed everyone as he walked over to the seat that held Raven's sword. He grabbed it much to the woman's fury.**

**He then took his scroll and ordered "You can come in now." After he said that, a few more goons entered, flanking a pair of women in matching dresses, one red the other white, and both with matching opera masks (2). "Nice work out there, ladies. Really sold it to dear old mom." He said.**

"What?!" "Are you kidding me?!" Many were shocked by the revelation. Raven didn't know how to respond to this betrayal.

**The twins giggled and looked at the Joker as they took off their masks, their faces in a fake scared expression. "Oh mommy, please don't let the big, bad clown hurt us!" They then proceeded to laugh at the corpse mockingly.**

"Those little traitors." Raven growled.

Everyone else was either revolted by the betrayal or intrigued by it. 'Interesting, I wonder how you managed to do that?' Cinder thought as she licked her lips in want.

**After laughing a bit, the two looked at the man who handed over their mother's sword like it was a trophy. They accepted it and turned to glare at each other before putting on their masks again.**

**As this was happening, he turned to the rest of the bosses, "Well, now that that's over, I think we're done here. Boys?" The sickened bosses look as his men begin passing around clown masks to their security. Their men look to be in contemplation, before most of them to their shock put them on.**

"So, they're betraying their employers as well." Ozpin says, worried over how quickly the Joker seemed to grow more and more as a threat.

"This is not good, Oz," Qrow says, having the same thoughts as him.

Raven seethed, but begrudgingly had to respect the man. He had personally taken out two of the major crime bosses in the city in their own territories, scaring the men of the other leaders into following him now, and he might be taking care of the rest very soon.

**After they did so, the Joker starts to leave. But then stops, as if just remembering something. "Oh wait," He smacks his forehead, then takes out his scroll, calling one of his men. After it answers he says, "Oh Sage~, it's time."**

"Oh, it looks like he's signaling his men for another attack." Cinder was deeply impressed with the Joker's planning and boldness so far here. He was incredibly resourceful, and he wasn't hesitant to carry out his tasks. She only hoped that 'her' Jaune could be molded to be more like him.

**We cut to a ventilation system control room where Sage, and some clown goons, were working the controls and waiting for the Joker's signal. Just then, his scroll vibrated. He took it out and seeing who was calling him, answered "Yeah boss?" "**_**Oh**__**Sage~, it's time**_**." "You got it boss." He closed his scroll and turned to his men.**

"**Ok boys, the boss says to proceed." The goons then punched some commands in the control panels, making the ventilation shafts stop working around the conference room. all the while Sage went to one of the pipes that led directly to the conference room and took out the container that his men worked so hard to make. He then opened the pipe.**

**After waiting for the go ahead from one of his boys, he puts on a clown mask and opens the container. Immediately, green smoke started to emanate from the device, and he quickly tossed it into the pipe and closed it back up.**

"Guys, I don't like what I'm seeing here." Coco said, very afraid of what that gas can do.

Winter, James, Watts, and Penny all straightened their postures, knowing just what that gas represented.

**We cut back to the conference room as the Joker signaled his men to lock the doors. He then looked around the other bosses. "You know," he said, gaining their attention, "just so we're all clear, I didn't really mean to introduce this so soon, so I do have to apologize." Soon, green smoke started to seep through the ventilation ducts, causing the bosses to panic as well as those who didn't put on the masks.**

**As the gas start to spread, Joker puts on a mask that Sun passed him. After securing it, he looks at the panicked people, and sighs in disappointment. "I **_**really**_** didn't want to do this, but Roman and Jacques didn't give me much choice, so if you want to blame anyone for this: blame them." He reveals, much to everyone's shock.**

"You ordered the Joker to kill those people, Roman?!" James yelled at the man, with him deep in thought, disturbed by what his other ordered that madman to do. Neither Schnee were that surprised that their father ordered it though, they could see him doing something similar in their universe.

As this was happening, Jack paused the view to see what theories they may think up.

"Well... it would make sense" he says softly, much to the shock of many. He quickly moved to explain himself, "I mean, think about it. The cops are squeezing our wallets, this Batman guy is beating up our underlings, and lastly the Joker had charged us half of all our money to take care of our problems. Those two were probably desperate." He finished.

Ozpin, despite hating to do this, had to agree. "Well, when you put it like that..." Glynda turned to him in shock, along with many of his other friends, and shouted "Sir, you cannot be serious!"

*sigh*"Believe me, I wish I wasn't, but we must think clearly about their situation, Glynda." He said, beginning to sound like a professor in the middle of a lecture. "These criminals have been living in comfort for years," he turned to Jack for confirmation which he gave, "Now Batman arrives and is causing an uproar. As we've seen earlier, he's been giving the people hope."

He paused as he looked to see if everyone was following so far. "Now here comes the Joker, someone who has not only robbed them in broad daylight, no doubt further chipping away at their powerbase, but has also murdered two government officials and one of their leaders in their own bases, two now. He's showed them that he isn't afraid of who his next target may be, causing them to fear any reprisals from the man."

Roman nodded along.

"And with that weasel squealing, a lot of our guys will be in jail now, crumbling our power even further." He points to Watts, causing Salem to glare at him again at the reminder.

"Not only that, but with the fee that the Joker levied on us, we will no longer have the money to fund to our men and operations anymore," he continued. "With our funds cut by half, we would need to downsize. _A lot_. And killing off the other mob bosses would mean less competition and it's a lot safer for us. We simply can't double-cross the Joker to get our money back. he's already killing the other bosses and has taken command of their men. If we struck out against him, then he could simply massacre us in return." He explained.

The heroes begrudgingly agreed with the master thief. If they had only those two choices to choose from, then killing off the others would be the safer of the two.

The villains applauded the meticulous planning of the Joker, wanting him to join their ranks even further. Salem and Cinder were wondering if the Jaune in their universe could create a plan as devious as this, with the latter blushing at the possibilities and rubbing her legs together to disperse the sudden heat she was feeling.

Jack just smirked. While this theory makes sense, it wasn't 100% correct. After everyone gave it some thought, he continued the viewing.

**Once everyone started to breath the gas, they began coughing. And then it happened.**

**It started with one of the bosses starting to unconsciously chuckle, then one of the unmasked goons began to giggle as she struggled to cover her mouth with her hands. Then more and more started to laugh as they stopped trying to cover their faces. A few seconds passed and everyone not in a mask were laughing uncontrollably as they started to experience body spasms. They started to drop to the ground, their hands raised to the ones left standing, silently pleading for their help as they were unable to breathe anymore. The image shows that their faces were contorting into nightmarish grins as their eyes reflected the fear they were feeling. Before long, the laughter died down, everyone dead with large smiles on their faces.**

The audience was left speechless. No one was expecting such a cruel and brutal death to happen so soon.

Some began to vomit, others were closing their eyes as they plugged up their ears to escape the horrible laughter. Neither side wished to experience something like that, nor did they wish that fate onto their most hated of enemies.

The students were huddled together in a group hug, drawing comfort in the embrace as they tried to ignore the horror they were witnessing. Many were crying, wanting to stop this nightmare but knowing that they were powerless to do so. Zwei was doing his best to comfort his family and their friends, licking their tears away and cuddling their faces. Those who had a crush on the boy were horrified that a version of him could do something so heinous and were crying the hardest.

**The goons who recently joined the Joker's ranks felt the same way. They just saw their coworkers, some of whom were friends, die violently and were thanking their lucky stars that they put on the masks. Any thoughts of betraying the mad clown vanished instantly.**

**The Joker meanwhile just texted Sage to stop pumping the gas. Once the ducts stopped, he took off his mask and went to one of the dead mob bosses, kneeling besides him. He flipped him over, and saw the results of the gas, sighed in disappointment. "I really am sorry that this had to happen" he softly said to the corpse, stroking his hair like a parent. "This really isn't my style, it's too quick."**

**He then stood up, and turned to his new henchmen, tears running down his face, "This is why I prefer knives." The new guys took off their own masks, crying at the scene and seeing their new boss look so remorseful. Then they remembered what he said a few minutes ago, "**_**I **__**really**__** didn't want to do this, but Roman and Jacques didn't give me much choice, so if you want to blame anyone for this: blame them.**_**"**

**As they remembered this, they started to feel anger at the two men beginning to rise. Some of them even began to snarl and growl.**

They weren't the only ones, some were even glaring at their Roman while the man himself was looking forward to escape from the heated gazes.

"**Come on. Let's go people." The Joker softly said, sighing as his men vacated the room. He pulled up his scroll and signaled Sage to leave.**

"At least he's ashamed of doing this." Ruby says as she wipes her tears away, many nodding along.

Raven was just glad to have died in the way she did. At least he was honorable enough to kill her relatively quickly with an electrocution and leaving her face looking normal, instead of a slow suffocation with a hellish grin decorating it.

**We cut back to the bat-bunker, where Whitley is sitting at his video screens and Klein standing nearby. They all play the Joker's video with different image treatments and sound tunings. He then turns to Klein, indicating the screens.**

"**Targeting me won't get the mob their money back." He analyzed. "I knew that they wouldn't go down without a fight, but this is different. They've crossed a line."**

**Klein shook his head, "You crossed it first, sir. You've battered and squeezed them to the point of desperation. And now, in their desperation they've turned to a man they don't fully understand." He points to one of the monitors, showing a closeup of the Joker.**

The adults nod, the students not doing much else but trying to compose themselves, the dog helping a lot with that.

"Fear and desperation will cause anyone to look for any solution…no matter the cost." Ozpin said, recalling Roman's orders.

Everyone thought back to the meeting, and how desperation and greed caused those deaths, and many shook their heads in grief.

**Whitley gets up from his monitors and opens a cabinet. "Criminals aren't complicated,**

**Klein. We just have to figure out what he's after."**

**Klein shook his head at that and rebuked with, "Respectfully, Master Whitley, perhaps this is a man you don't fully understand, either." Whitley stands up and heads to another table.**

**Klein follows him and looks at Whitley as he continues, "I was once in Wind Path (3). A long time ago." He began, regaining his friend's attention. "My friends and I were working, for the local government. They were trying to buy the loyalty of local tribal leaders. Bribing them with precious stones. But their caravans were being raided in a forest north of Mistral (4) by a bandit. We were asked to take care of the problem, so we started looking for the stones. But after six months, we couldn't find anyone who had traded with him."**

Many were looking intrigued by this tale, thinking how similar this story was to the Joker's.

Winter and James thought about places in Mistral and Vacuo where local governors had to bribe bandit tribes to leave their settlements alone, and sometimes, even paying them to keep the locals in check.

Raven and Vernal nodded and thought to all the times they were bribed to leave villages and towns alone.

The students felt uncomfortable about leaders bribing others for more power.

**Whitley raised an eyebrow. "What were you missing?"**

**Klein continued, "One day, we found a child playing with a ruby as big as a tangerine," he shrugs, "The bandit had been throwing the stones away."**

The thieves were shaking their heads at the waste of lien this thief was literally throwing away.

Others were left confused. "Wait, if he was just planning to throw the stones away, then why steal them in the first place?" Weiss asked.

**Whitley asked, "So why was he stealing them?"**

Weiss's friends snickered at how similar the questions were, causing her to blush as she crossed her arms and pout.

**Klein offered his opinion. "Well because he thought it was good sport. Because some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money... they can't be bought, bullied, reasoned or negotiated with." Here his tone turned grave, "Some men, just want to watch the world burn."**

Most shivered at the tone, remembering the characteristics of the Joker and how similar he was to this thief.

**Whitley stares at Klein, then reaches for the bat-suit.**

**We cut to a skyline view of Vale, very early the next morning.**

**Moving over the city we hear a myriad of radio calls going out. Closing in to a lonely figure on top of a skyscraper, the Batman is listening with his rather expensive earpieces. From the noise, one voice is heard above the rest.**

"**Dispatch. Your name, sir. Please state-"**

**A voice interrupts them halfway through. "8th at Orchard. You'll find James Ironwood there."**

The man stiffened at the mention of his name, wondering if he was next to die. Glynda reached over and placed a hand over his shoulder in support.

**At the address of the mentioned street, an unmarked car and a police squad car screech to a halt. Ozpin and Blake get out, leading two others into the building.**

**Inside the apartment, the door smashes open, and Ozpin enters, his gun drawn as he takes in the scene. The rest move in and he orders them to fan out and look for any clues. He then walks to the kitchen, where two dead men are sitting at the table. As he moves closer, he notices that they were each holding a hand of cards, as if in the middle of a game.**

**All the cards were Joker cards.**

While James was relieved that he wasn't dead, he still felt bad for those innocent people. As did the rest of the heroes. "Looks like he struck again." Qrow says, holding his flask in salute to the poor guys that had the misfortune of crossing paths with him.

**Blake enters the room, and the two of them stare at the crude smiles drawn on their faces. Their drivers' licenses pinned to their chests.**

"Well at least he didn't use that horrible gas again. So, we can all take comfort in that at least." Raven said, many being surprised that it was her of all people that thanked the Joker for sparing those men that fate.

**A dark voice is heard, "Check the names." Ozpin quickly goes over and checks the licenses. "Patrick Ironwood. Richard James…"**

Blake was the first to figure out the connection. "James Ironwood," she whispered.

**Blake said, "James Ironwood." Immediately getting the connection between the names.**

**Batman stepped away from the shadows. "I need ten minutes with the scene before your men contaminate it."**

All the older hunters glared at the order. James also felt a bit of guilt well up, his first and last names were the sole reasons for those two's deaths.

**Blake suddenly glared at the man, "**_**Us**_** contaminate it? It's because of you that these guys are dead in the fir-"**

**Ozpin just said "Blake" and she immediately stood down.**

**Batman meanwhile moves past the bodies to the wall behind them and finds an embedded stray bullet. He pulls a sawing device from his belt of wonders and thrusts it into the wall and starts cutting around the bullet.**

"What the hell is he doing?" Qrow asks, wondering why no one is ordering him to stop defiling the crime scene. He was also starting to get pissed. He ordered official police officers to go away and not contaminate the scene, yet he went and does just that.

**Ozpin looks at what he's doing and says, "That's brick, you know that right? You're gonna try and take ballistics from a shattered bullet?" He didn't know what the hell he was planning on doing with that.**

**Batman, not taking his eyes off the wall says, "No. Fingerprints."**

Qrow looked as if he was about to explode "Are you fucking kidding me?!" "Language Qrow!" He ignores the reprimand from Tai and shakes his head at the sheer stupidity that this man was exhibiting. "There is no way that he would get anything from a bullet that was shattered inside of a wall."

Coco immediately agreed with the drunk. "Yeah. And plus, every time we've seen the guy in action, he always wore those gloves of his. He simply couldn't leave any prints on them, at best any he would find would be from one of the Joker's men." The students nodded their heads, trying to think back and remembering that not once was he seen with his gloves off, not even when wearing his first outfit.

The other adults silently agreed with her, wondering just what he hoped to accomplish here.

**Blake looks at Ozpin. "Is he serious? Oz-"**

**Ozpin nods and says, "Whatever you're gonna do, do it fast. Because we know his next target…" he raised a newspaper that was beside one of the corpses.**

**Batman, after finishing up and carefully taking the piece of wall out, turns and looks. Printed on the paper was a campaign poster with 'Reelect Mayor Port' typed in the front and a picture of the portly man underneath. The Mayor's image in the sign also has a clown's grin and "HA, HA, HA" painted on.**

The teachers immediately glared at this, wishing that they were there to stop the assassination.

**We then cut to inside Adrian's office inside Schnee Enterprises, several hours later. There we see the man sitting at his desk, looking over some paperwork. Just then Scarlet enters.**

**He looks up from his work and greets the man, "What can I do for you, Mr. David?"**

**Scarlet sits down and places a folder on the desk. "You asked me to do the diligence on the Watts' Industries deal again. Well, I found some irregularities."**

**The man looks at the man in puzzlement, "Their CEO is in police custody at the moment." But Scarlet shakes his head, "Not with their numbers sir. With yours. A whole division of Schnee Enterprises disappeared, overnight. So, I went down to the archives and started pulling old files." He pulls out a folded blueprint from the folder and slides it across the desk.**

"Oh shit, looks like the jig is up." Coco said worriedly. Weiss and Winter were worried about what that man found and if he really made the connection.

**Scarlet continued, "My kids love the Batman. I thought he was cool too. Going out every night, kicking some ass." Adrian picks up the piece of paper and unfolds it. It was an old blueprint of a familiar vehicle, the Tumbler.**

"If you like him so much, why are you bringing this up!" Weiss yelled, not wanting to see something potentially bad happening to her brother.

"**Things change when you realize that it's just a rich kid playing dress up." He points to the approval box in the corner of the page, along with Adrian's signature. "Don't tell me you didn't recognize your baby pancaking cop cars on the evening news. You are just getting sloppy now. Applied Sciences was a small, dead department, who'd notice? But now you've got the entire R&D department burning lien, claiming it's related to cell phones for the army. What are you building him now? A rocket ship?" He asks incredulously.**

"You know," Ren began, "when he puts it like that, it _is_ rather difficult to believe no one else within his company managed to connect the dots."

When Weiss turned to stare at him, he shrugged. "Well think about it, Weiss; how many people worked in this one project alone? It had to be at least in the double digits. What about the rest of the department? While it was a dead end one, there still must have been plenty of people still working there. These people would have had plenty of time to notice. And what about the other gadgets and his suit? The man said earlier that the government was looking into these devices, meaning that they should have at least some of the blueprints kept in their archives."

She was about to deny his claim but stopped when she saw her sister and the general nod their heads in agreement. She just sighed and slumped in her seat in defeat.

**Scarlet then said, "I want ten million lien, every year, for the rest of my life."**

Weiss shot back up, angry at the blatant attempt at extortion, her sister and friends following not far behind.

The villains only looked on, impressed by this solid move; while the thieves were drooling at the amount of cash he was going to get.

**Adrian just looks at him evenly, not expressing what he may be thinking. Then he folds up the blueprint and says with an eyebrow raised, "So let me get this straight. You think that your client, one of the wealthiest and most powerful men in the world, is secretly a vigilante who spends his nights beating up criminals to a pulp with his bare hands…"**

**He then deadpans at the man, "And your plan, is to blackmail him?"**

The heroes laughed at this. The way Adrian delivered his rebuttal was just too funny.

**Scarlet just stares at Adrian, his mouth opening and closing but no words were coming out. Adrian smiles and slides the blueprint back across the desk.**

**He looks at the dumbass and says, "Good luck."**

Now the thieves join in. 'Good luck' indeed, the guy stole someone from an entire country away, this dipshit wouldn't stand a chance.

**He looks at it, then at Adrian. He swallows, realizing the dilemma he was in, and leaves the office.**

The laughter continued even after he left.

**END**

**Man, that took forever to make, hope you like the small deviation I made. I also forgot to put in Zwei last chapter since it was Ruby's birthday. See you next time!**

**1\. I wanted to put Patch, but on the maps of Remnant that place is to the West, while Menagerie is Southeast.**

**2\. Think their outfits from RWBY, forgot to mention in the earlier chapter that what they wore before were female versions of what Junior's men did. Also think of eye masks, not full-faced ones, with their corresponding colors.**

**3\. Wind Path is a city in the Kingdom of Mistral. Because of the distance from the capital, the city is ideal location for thieves, assassins and other people who wish to remain hidden from the authorities. Is mentioned in ****Remnant: The Game****.**

**4\. The city is south of Wind Path. And on a map, it looks like the area between the two is a forest. I know that Qrow said that Mistral is filled with swamps, but that was for an area in the west while Wind Path is to the north, and a bit to the east.**


	8. Why So Serious? Pt 7

**Chapter 7: "Why So Serious?" Pt. 7**

**Sorry for the wait.** **This was meant to come up on Sunday, but my computer crashed, making me lose all my progress and I had to start over. That really pissed me off for a while, but I'm back baby!**

**Reviews Galore!**

**UnlawfulGentleman****: Hahahaha! Oh, trust me, I know that he wouldn't **_**normally**_** cry. Riddle me this though, who were in the same room with him and his men? Why were they so upset? As we've seen with the twins, that clown can be one manipulative SOB.**

**underdogking****: Oh, thank you. Well, I was thinking to myself: "Man, I really need to get rid of these mob bosses since they still control a majority of the criminal underworld, but how?" And then I remembered that Jack Nicholson's Joker had a similar problem, and a solution to boot, and the rest was history.**

**warrior of six blades****: Now whoever said that he was remorseful? I sure didn't. Two chapters ago, the man seemed awfully happy to want to use that gas. And in the last chapter we see him playing with the container with a smile on his face. What was the **_**exact**_** word that I used to explain his feelings? Also, **_**who**_** said that Roman or Jacques ordered him to kill those bosses?**

**the Composcreator****: No, you're right, it wasn't in the movie. I just needed it to be shown prominently for another chapter. Think you can figure it out? Here's a hint: DB and clowns. Also, glad you liked the reactions so far.**

**guillermocejas767****: Well, funny you should mention that... It is on my list of movies to do (and yes it will be the whole thing), but that won't come until after I do the first X-Men movie. Someone had suggested that one first, and it would be funny to see their reactions on how different the past and future versions of the character are.**

**MichaelMyers1234****: THANK YOU! Finally, someone figured it out! Also: Multiverse Extravaganza Ch. 2 for the first Captain America, The Infinite Realities of Jaune Arc Ch. 14 for Civil War... Huh. I guess no one did make a Winter Soldier one. Well alright then, I'll get cracking on it as soon as I have the time! (making Guardians of the Galaxy first).**

**WearyCurmudgeon****: Oh man, Thank you for some of the Marvel character ideas. I was really stumped at who would fit best, and this helped speed things up. So again, thank you.**

**Thank you all for the love, and I hope that you enjoy this next chapter!**

**Disclaimer in the prologue.**

**We cut to the Bat-Bunker a few hours later.**

**There we see Whitley hard at work on the computer, loading up its 3D simulator. He then hands Klein a rifle bullet with the tip scribed in a grid pattern, who dutifully slots it into a clip, then loads it into a computer-controlled Gatling gun with the barrel pointing upwards.**

Ruby, Nora, and Coco were drooling at the powerful looking weapon as their partners rolled their eyes at their antics.

"Hey, has anyone else noticed how the bullet had those weird markings carved on it?" Velvet asked, confused as to what the purpose of that grid was. Those who were close enough to hear her shrugged, having no idea either.

**The two then puts on ear protectors as Klein presses a button, and the two watch as the gun whirs to life. It quickly moves across to the other side of the platform, then it points its barrel forward. As it's moving back to its original position, it would continuously blast a single bullet into a series of four identical brick wall samples that were on separate stands on the other side of the bunker.**

**After the last shot was fired, Whitley goes to check the results, the brick from the crime scene on hand.**

**As he's walking past, he hears Klein's remark, "I'm not sure you made it loud enough, sir."**

His remark caused many to snicker and/or smirk.

**With the samples still smoking from the blasts, Whitley steps closer, lifting his sample up and starts to compare its spread to the others.**

"Ok, now wait just a minute here." Blake critiques, "How would he be able to compare the holes? He isn't a Faunus, so he doesn't have superior eyesight. And it looks like he's just doing a side-by-side glance, that's no way to properly compare anything." She points out.

"You are correct," Penny agreed, "Mr. Schnee cannot compare the bullet holes simply based off eyesight alone, he would _need_ to use some magnifying glass to get accurate results. He would also need more than just a few seconds to acquire any meaningful data." Many agreed with the two, not seeing how he would be able to correctly check without lensing equipment.

Qrow was still steamed at the boy's decision to take vital evidence, and what he was seeing wasn't helping.

**In the end, he selects the third one on the left as the most comparable and carries it to an x-ray scanner. He starts up the machine and it gives the sample a 3-axis scan. As it's doing its job, he's looking at the 3D simulator's screen as hi-res 3D images of the bullet fragment array comes up on the screen.**

Those from Atlas were fascinated by the technology they were seeing, wanting to compare it with their world's own to see if they could improve on their tech.

Ruby and Nora were just confused, not understanding what they were seeing.

**Inside the Applied Sciences Division 30 minutes later, that same image of the bullet fragment is on a screen. On the left, we see Whitley and to the right, Adrian looking at the screen.**

Penny smiled again at seeing her father working to help others in need.

**Adrian hits a key for the computer to start to 'reassemble' the bullet according to the grid that was grafted on the fragment beforehand. He then points to the screen, "Here's your original scan..." The fragments begin to converge, more closely resembling the bullet. "And here it is reverse-engineered..." He hits a series of commands and the computer finishes reassembling the fragments.**

Many were amazed at the level of sophistication of the machine, though a few were still skeptical about them finding anything.

**Whitley clicks on the mouse, and the computer spins the roughly-shaped bullet puzzle. He stops it at a specific angle, "And here's the thumb print he left when he pushed the round in the clip." He points out as his friend looks on, impressed.**

"Alright, that is just bullshit!" "Qrow!" Qrow ignored his brother-in-law, he just couldn't take it anymore. James was close to the edge as well but composed himself just in time.

"I agree," Winter threw up a bit in her mouth from the mere action of agreeing with that drunken fool.

"There is no way for them to find a fingerprint on the bullet. People don't stick their fingers there when loading ammunition; and when the authorities check for fingerprints, they check the bullet casing, not the bullet itself!" The guy was really annoyed by this, the professional Huntsmen not far behind in this (1).

"And even if it didn't," he continued, "if the guy was stupid enough to handle his ammo like that, the bullet was still shattered! Much of the mass would have scattered with the debris littering the dust cloud from the impact." He finished as he breathed hard. No one moved to argue with the man and just allowed him time to recuperate.

Jack looked amused at the man's breakdown and fought hard not to laugh, "Perhaps we should suspend our disbelief for this and just continue." Most nodded while Qrow just went back to drink from his flask, forgetting why he stopped doing so in the first place.

**Adrian nods, "I'll make you a copy then." before he looks back at the younger man, a troubled expression showing on his face, "did you reassign R&D?"**

**Whitley immediately nods and says "Yes. Government telecommunications project."**

**Adrian shakes his head in confusion at the news, "I wasn't aware we had any new government contracts. Can you-"**

**But Whitley cuts him off, "Adrian. I want to play this one close to the chest."**

**He raises his hands in surrender and nods, "Fair enough." He looks at his boss as he leaves, a bit uneasy for what he'll do with that research.**

Penny looked worried for her father's anxiety. She didn't like seeing look so upset. Ruby saw this and moved to sit by her friend, causing the gynoid to smile at the action.

**The screen then goes to an overhead view of Parkside Avenue at noon the next day. The avenue has been blocked off by the police with onlookers lining the sidewalks. Bagpipers playing their instruments, Police marching in their dress uniform, Ozpin and his men, and a coffin with a Vale Flag on top in the middle of the cops.**

Winter, James, and Penny immediately stood up and saluted the coffin of such an important figure, even if they didn't truly know who was in it.

**Lisa's voice was heard as the screen moves to a stand on the sidewalk. "With no word from the Batman even as they mourn Commissioner Frost, these cops have to be wondering if the Joker is going to make good on his threat to kill the Mayor today..." It shows a closeup of Lisa as she holds up a newspaper with a picture of Port.**

The teachers glared at that, remembering the threat.

**We cut back to the bunker, where Whitley was sitting down and examining the fingerprint on-screen, while Klein stood behind and to the right of him.**

**He then points at a different screen that had several pictures posted on it, "I've run it through all the databases and came up with four possibilities." He gets up to let Klein sit. "Cross-reference their addresses Klein. Look for Parkside, overlooking the parade." He says as he opens a hydraulic door imbedded into a wall, revealing a rather nice bike.**

*Whistle*"Now that is a nice bike," Yang complimented, "could use a bit more yellow though."

Winter and Weiss narrowed their eyes, silently praying that their brother wouldn't think of riding such a dangerous vehicle in their world.

**As he moves the bike onto the lift, Klein was typing commands on the computer, then he stopped to announce his findings. "Got one. Arthur Fleck (2), aggravated assault, moved to Arkham twice- 1502 Randolph Apartments, just off State."**

**Whitley then drives off in his bike.**

Qrow's eye twitched, not willing to believe that the two managed to find a match.

The students though, were confused. That wasn't their friend/crush's name, not even close. "Uh, what?" Nora asked what they were all thinking.

**Back to the parade, on the buildings above, police snipers are scanning the crowd. It briefly shows Whitley's bike pulling up on one of the backstreets.**

**It then shows Ozpin keying his scroll, "How's it looking up top boys?" One of the snipers goes to report, "We're tight up here. But quite frankly sir... there's a lot of windows up here." Oz looks up at the buildings overlooking the podium, looking at the shitload of windows lining up the road that his men must guard.**

"That is a lot of windows to guard." Blake observed, thinking that they would need a LOT more snipers to reliable cover them all.

**We cut back to Whitley as he pulls up near a parade barricade, and dismounts after turning it off; slipping into an alley and opening one of the many backdoors before entering.**

**We now go inside the apartment, where some of the building's tenants are eyeing Whitley as he counts the doors down the hallway before he eventually finds 1502.**

The teachers leaned forwards, hoping that the young man would stop the assassination.

**Cutting back to the street, a veritable sea of police has filled the avenue. At the end of the street, a platform was seen with Weiss' grieving family and an honor guard to protect them. The Mayor steps up to the podium, Oz sitting behind at the front row, and James is seated with Glynda.**

**Port then starts his speech, "Commissioner Frost dedicated her life to law enforcement, and to the protection of her community.**

"Oh, the funeral is about you, Weiss." Ruby 'helpfully' pointed out. The girl in question shivered at seeing her own grave in front of her, same with her sister.

Ozpin tried to calm the young girl, "At least Peter is starting off strong in pointing out your strong suits, Ms. Schnee." That helped in stopping the shivering.

**"I remember when I first took office, and I asked her if she wanted to stay on as commissioner." We cut to Whitley entering the suite, "And she said that she would, so long as I kept my politics out of her office." the speech faded as he closed the door.**

**As he walks slowly through the hallway, he stops when he sees eight men bound, gagged, and blindfolded in their underwear, a sniper scope on a tripod at the nearby window.**

"Oh my, what ever could've happened here~?" Cinder looked intrigued by this, wondering what the significance of this was. The other villains focused more closely on this, Neo and Emerald licking their lips at what they were thinking seeing all that rope.

**We cut back to Port, "Clearly, she was not a woman who minced words, nor should she have been. A few policies that she placed were unpopular. Policies that flooded my office with angry calls and letters..."**

**Whitley is quickly moving to one of the men, kneels next to him, and rips the tape from his mouth.**

**"Ah!" The man yelped in pain. He was breathing hard, "W-Who's there?!" as he 'looked' for the mystery person.**

**Whitley, in his Batman voice, asked "What happened?"**

**The man took a moment to compose himself, relieved like the rest that Batman was the one who found them, "They took... they took our guns, and our uniforms..."**

The heroes paled, realizing that those men were cops. Many of them realized that Joker's men now could be anywhere in that large crowd. All they would need is the proper opportunity.

Most of the villains smirked, understanding at least a part of the Joker's plan now. 'Very sneaky young man, very sneaky indeed.' Salem grinned, she was taking immense pleasure at seeing her ex looking so upset.

**He looks back at the tripod, then he stands up and goes over to it. As the screen goes to the window that had its shade pulled down, and an egg timer was seen on the sill, ticking away.**

"What's with the timer?" Nora asked, confused.

**As he stepped closer, Port's voice was heard "...and as we recognize the sacrifice of this woman..." We cut back to Port, "...we must remember that vigilance is the price of safety." The Mayor wraps up.**

**the Honor Guard then steps forward, one of them ordering "Stand by. Honor Guard. Attention." The Honor Guard straightens their posture. "Port Arms." They pulled their weapons to their chests. "Ready! Aim! Fire!" They raise their weapons, then fire once. As the screen moves through the line of Honor Guard, a familiar face was briefly seen.**

'Wait, that guy looks vaguely familiar.' Ruby thought while Raven widened her eyes at seeing the face, then smirked at the level of manipulation this young man had in acquiring him to join his faction.

**Back to the apartment, Whitley made it to the window and looks through the scope to see what it was pointing to, all the while another order of the Captain was heard "Ready! Aim!" Just as he reached it, the egg timer dinged, and the shade was quickly pulled up. Outside to a nearby fire escape staircase, one of the snipers quickly sees the movement and immediately raised his rifle and shot off several rounds, nearly hitting him as he ducks the shots, "Fire!"**

"Brother!" The Schnee's were worried, seeing their brother getting shot at by a sniper rifle, while the villains silently snickered at the timing of the order with the guard shooting at him.

Everyone else felt a sense of dread, how did the Joker know that Whitley would be there at that exact moment?

"The print was a trap." Blake said as her eyes widened, causing many to do the same.

**Back to the street, the Honor Guard was about to finish their salute, the sounds of the second rounds going off hiding that of the sniper rounds, "Ready!" As the order was about to finish, the screen continues to pass through the line, a cop with a VERY familiar face was seen "Aim!", before ALL the Honor Guard turned their weapons on the mayor. "Fire!"**

"No!" Oz shouted as he rose up from his seat. The other heroes stared in horror at seeing Jaune without his makeup in the ranks about to shoot the mayor.

**Oz immediately leaps forward just as the Joker fires, the bullet hitting Oz in the back as he slams the Mayor to the ground, saving him.**

The man sighed in relief that he saved his friend. He wasn't really all that affected at seeing himself get shot in the back, he had personally experienced death so often that he was virtually immune to it.

The other heroes however didn't take the scene as well. The students shouted at seeing their headmaster shot, and his friends stiffened at the sight. If anything, it honestly brought a warm felling inside at seeing so many care for his safety.

The villains all cheered though. Their most hated enemy was just shot, why wouldn't they?

**The crowd immediately went wild. The cops were springing into action they but were somewhat impeded by the panicking civilians blocking their path. The Joker smiles knowingly as he and his men drop their weapons and attempt to escape. One of the cops shoots a fake Honor Guard in the back of the leg, causing him to drop to the floor in pain and his cap falling off, revealing the unobscured face of Qrow Branwen. The others however managed to melt into the chaos.**

"Uncle Qrow?!" His nieces shouted, not expecting him to also be in the Joker's crew. The man's friends and coworkers were shocked seeing him there.

Raven though, was smirking in amusement, "Well well, it looks like your 'luck' still holds out, dear brother."

*Sigh*"Just my luck." Qrow said as he finished the alcohol in his flask, seeing him go down while the others escaped.

**On the podium, Bart quickly checks his surrounding with his gun pointed forwards, before he moves to his friend's body. He orders a nearby cop to take Port out of there, James and Glynda following behind. He rolls Oz's body over, but he stops and drops his gun, tears beginning to fall. Oz's eyes were closed with his spectacles nowhere on his face. He wasn't breathing.**

The students all prayed that he would be alright, their faces stained with tears.

**Bart placed a shaking hand on his neck, praying that what he was seeing was just a dream, but he then placed it instead on his chest. He couldn't find a pulse.**

All the heroes bowed their heads in mourning.

The villains felt delighted, seeing the corpse just laying there filled them with such satisfaction that they suppressed the little bit of jealousy over not having the pleasure of killing him themselves.

**Back with the couple, James rushed back to find if his friend was ok, much to Glynda's fear for his own safety, and goes to where Bart is. The forlorn expression he had when he arrived told what the answer was.**

**He looks around, wanting to find some answers, and finds an ambulance. In his own grief, he goes to the side street and approaches the ambulance sitting in the alley. The two cops there jumped out and rush over to their beloved lieutenant. James took advantage of that and steps up into the back. Inside the back, Qrow was sitting there, handcuffed.**

**The nearby paramedic was, rather reluctantly, bandaging his leg. It was chaos outside. Cops were running past, barking orders. James walks in and orders the paramedic to go see if anyone else was injured. The man gladly left, and James looked at the man who had a hand in the murder of his friend. "Tell me what you know about the Joker."**

**Qrow just looks at him, smirking, before looking down at his uniform.**

"Uncle Qrow, I don't like the look your wearing," Ruby said, shivering at the wild expression on her beloved drunken uncle as she hugged her dog for comfort.

He reached over and petted her head, "I know, pipsqueak. I don't like it either."

**James follows his gaze and spots something. He moves closer, the man's name tag... He grabs the uniform and roughly pulls it forwards so that he could see more clearly. It read 'OFFICER GLYNDA GOODWITCH'.**

The woman paled, already connecting the dots on who the Joker's next target is going to be. James narrowed his eyes in anger and fear, having the same revelation and not wanting to see his crush get killed.

The other heroes collectively gulped at the unspoken threat; while the villains all leaned forward, hoping that they would see another thorn in their side go bye-bye.

**James glared at the tag then he looks back to Qrow as he began to chuckle at him.**

**He then spies the keys in the ignition. He looks back outside to see if anyone was looking their way, and once he saw that no one was, he jumps into the driver's seat and turns on the ignition.**

**Qrow seeing what was happening, immediately tries to escape, but the cuffs were preventing him from doing so.**

**The screen changes to a rather nice and medium sized home at dusk, where Bart and Blake comes up the front yard and knocks at the door. The door soon opens to a human Salem, looking scared at seeing them.**

The woman in question jaw dropped at seeing her past human form onscreen. She wasn't the only one, Ozpin had a similar reaction much to the confusion and amusement of his friends, thinking that he was awed at the admittedly beautiful woman. Raven was even able to take a picture of the two immortals.

The younger women in the audience stared in awe at the blond woman, hoping that they would look as good in the future.

**As she moved to stand in the doorway, she looks between the two. "No" she whispered. Blake lowers her gaze as Bart steps forwards, "I'm sorry, Salem." he softly says.**

That brought the people who knew the significance of that name to gawk. They started to turn their heads back and forth between the two, not believing the connection.

Those who didn't could only look on in confusion. It took a while, but they finally saw how the others were moving and saw the connection between the woman onscreen and her Grimm counterpart, feeling numb at the revelation while also feeling a bit faint.

Salem started to remember the pain she felt when she first lost her love, the sharp pain in her chest returning. While Ozpin remembered seeing how he died the first time affected his former wife.

**Suddenly, a little blond girl in a blue dress pushes past his mother to look at Bart.**

If the sight of her human self wasn't devastating enough, now the two got to see their oldest daughter there as well. "Oma?" they unknowingly whispered at the same time as they thought, and hoped, that they would soon see the other three.

**Salem tries to push her daughter back inside. "Oma (3), go play with your sisters, go ahead honey." Oma goes back inside but stays just inside the door as the screen focuses on her, her tears falling as she subconsciously knew the reason for her mommy's sadness.**

Now they were tearing up, wanting to go over there and comfort her, telling her that her daddy was okay, and that nothing was wrong.

Everyone else just didn't know how to react. The heroes almost never saw the headmaster cry like that, while the villains never saw their mistress look so fragile in that moment. Everyone felt a little uncomfortable.

**Salem's sobs were heard as Bart tries to comfort his friend's wife, "I'm sorry. If there's anything we can do, anything you need, we're here for you." Salem continued to cry as Bart hugged her, the screen looking to them to show Bart in tears as well.**

**Then she started to speak, "Are you out there? Are you?!" Oma was confused until she looked further out and spotted something. Batman was there, perched in the shadows. Salem continued, "You brought this on us! This craziness! You did! YOU BROUGHT THIS CRAZINESS ON US!" She then collapses, Oma and Bart by her side.**

Most of the adults couldn't help but feel sorry for the new widow, already seeing how her husband's death was already affecting her.

The former couple flinching at the reminder.

The students couldn't help but cry for her, hearing her voice sound so broken.

**Just then, three more girls in green, brown, and pink dresses came rushing over crying, their tears evident that they heard everything, and knew that their daddy wasn't coming back. Batman just hangs his head in shame.**

Salem began to cry, finally able to see her little angels after so long, only to watch as they were nearly shattered in grief. Ozpin began to apologize softly, he didn't want to see his sweet babies cry over him. The sight of their tears broke both their hearts.

The members of their respective factions came to each of them for support, though rather reluctantly for a few.

The students continued to shed their tears, seeing how a family was forever broken. Ruby and Yang hugged each other, remembering the woman that was taken from them, as their family joined them in the embrace.

Ren bowed his head, his mind flashing back to his village and what he lost that day, with his team trying to lift his spirits.

Weiss and Winter looked on in sadness with tears falling, seeing their brother looking so guilty over what happened. They knew it wasn't his fault, he was tricked like everyone else by that madman.

Neo and Emerald wiped their tears at the heartbreaking scene, seeing how much she loved him, and how his death has already affected the family.

**It cuts to the roof of the MCU later that night. Detectives stand around the lit bat-signal, but after a few seconds Bart looks to one of them. "Switch it off." He orders. "He isn't coming. He doesn't want to talk to us. Oum help whoever he does want to talk to."**

**It then cuts to the interior of a nightclub. Strobe lights blinding those on the ground; loud, pounding music drowning out all other noise; and smoke from cigarettes and other drugs were making the air all foggy. Jacques is in a booth on the second floor at the side with his mistress; his bodyguards sitting around several nearby tables.**

If they weren't sad already, many of the women would have glared at that news.

**The woman was looking at him as she shouted over the music, "Can't we go someplace quieter! We can't hear each other talk!" He just looked forwards as he asked softly "Why the hell would I want to hear you talk?" The woman didn't catch that. "What?!"**

**Just then, one of his bodyguards stationed in a nearby catwalk drops off the ledge. Jacques looks over. In the strobe lights, Batman was just barely seen annihilating his bodyguards there. He raised his hand and points it to Batman. The guards behind him understood and moved to intercept the caped crusader. Not that that helped, he just got more brutal in his execution, breaking bones as he passed instead of simply punching, and thus knocking, them out.**

**Jacques starts to get out of his seat, but Batman lands like a panther on the table in front of him and grabs his suit.**

**Back inside the MCU, Glynda was moving through the chaotic bullpen filled with eyewitnesses, civilian and cop questioned. Glynda's scroll suddenly rings. When she saw who called her, she answered it. "James, where are you?!"**

**The screen intercuts with James in a dark space. "Where are you?"**

By this point, the two immortals managed to calm down enough to reassure their followers that they were fine, and to see the viewing again.

**Glynda answered, rolling her eyes, "Where you should be, you ass: Major Crimes trying to sort through all the-", but James interrupted her mid-rant. "Glynda, listen to me. You're not safe there."**

**Glynda darted around her surrounding, narrowing her eyes all the while, "This is Ozpin's unit, James" He shook his head, "Oz's gone, Glynda."**

That remark still stung for the heroes, but this time Ozpin flinched while Salem let loose another, hopefully final, tear.

**But she was stubborn. "He vouched for these men-" "-And he's gone." He finished her sentence as he started to pace back and forth, "The Joker's named you next." Glynda looks around the bullpen, eyeing the detectives that were hard at work. James took a shaky breath as he ran a hand through his hair, "Glynda, I can't let anything happen to you. I just love you too much.**

**"Is there someone, anyone in this city we can trust?" Glynda didn't even have to pause in her choice "Whitley. We can trust Whitley Schnee."**

**James stopped his pacing, "Look, I know he's your friend but-" "-Trust me, James. Whitley's penthouse is the safest place in the city right now." James nodded, knowing a losing argument when he saw one, "Okay. Go straight there. Don't tell anyone where you're going. I'll find you there."**

**The screen stays at James, the image moving back shows us he is inside the basement of a condemned building. James finished with "I love you." He then hangs up the scroll and looks to the side. Taped to a chair in front of him was a blindfolded Qrow. He rips off the blindfold, showing the slightly crazed look in his eyes.**

The sight of his other's eyes brought a shiver down Qrow's back.

**Outside a fire escape, Batman is holding Jacques by the collar over the edge.**

**Batman glares at the crime lord, "I want the Joker." Jacques looks down, smirks, then looks back. "From one professional to another, some advice. If you're trying to scare someone, pick a better spot. From this height, the fall wouldn't kill me." Batman sadistically smirks, "I'm counting on it." He then lets go of his grip. As Jacques fell about three stories, he was screaming like a little girl, before he lands on the hard pavement with a loud crack.**

The sound he made as he fell brought a few watery smiles to the Schnee's faces, along with a few others. "That's w-what you get, you c-cheater." Coco halfheartedly said, trying to keep the lightheartedness around a little bit longer.

**He was clutching his badly broken leg. Batman meanwhile jumps and glides down, landing over him, and roughly hauls him up. Jacques hollers in pain from the movement. Batman asks again, "Where is he?"**

**He shakes his head, "I don't know, he found us." But he wasn't taking that as an answer. "He must have friends." he growled.**

**"Friends?" He asked with a slight smirk, "Have you met this guy?"**

No one chuckled at his joke, only glared.

**Batman was running out of patience, "Someone must know where he is." Jacques just looks up at him, sneering. In an ominous tone, he said "No one's gonna tell you anything. They're wise to your act, you got rules." He smirks as he shakes his head. "The Joker, he's got no rules. No one's gonna cross him for you.**

That one statement proved to everyone just how powerful the Joker had become. The tone brought a foreboding feeling to creep up all their spines.

**"You want him, you got one way. But you already know what that is, don't you? Just take off that mask and let him come to you." Batman drops him back to the ground and leaves, but not before he hears Jacques parting words. "Or do you want to let a couple more people get killed while you make up your mind?"**

**END**

**1\. Keep in mind, these adults are professionals, they would know all about how police check for prints.**

**2\. No, I'm not doing 'Joker'. It's just a shout out to the Joker's final 'backstory' in the Dark Knight. Remember, we never got that third backstory due to Batman 'cutting' him off before he started. Eh, eh.**

**3\. Not an OC name, but rather a hint for the future.**


	9. Why So Serious? Pt 8

**Chapter 8: "Why So Serious?" Pt. 8**

**Reviews!**

**the Composcreator****: Oh yeah! Now you know why I needed that gas despite it not being present in the movie. I will also do the other one as well before moving on, I can only imagine when the audience sees Joker-Jaune again. And I bet you'll never guess who I have playing the other clown!**

**Greer123****: Thank you, I thought that seeing their children again would near break them, imagine how they'll react when James threatens one of them?**

**MichaelMyers1234****: Maybe? Never actually seen any anti-hero movies. Well, none that's not Deadpool. Does Thanos count?**

**InArkosWeTrust****: That scene doesn't come until far later, like just before James' turning to the dark side later. I would never skip that scene, do you know how thrilled those thieves will get once they see that huge mountain of cash, and how much of a wreck once they see him burn it all down? It would nearly destroy them!**

**warrior of six blades****: Hey, no worries man. Glad you liked it so far.**

**Zero****: Feeling the love man! Also, I'm glad you got that hint.**

**Zathol****: Oh, I plan on it. The boardroom scene wasn't just to introduce the Joker Gas. Jack will explain everything either at the end of the DK, or the start of the next story, but it WILL be explained.**

**AK-103****: Well, I'm planning to do the entire movie before moving on.**

**Wow! So many of you guys loved the children being placed there. So many tears~. Anyway, glad you all loved it! Now, onwards to the next chapter! Sorry, had to correct a slight mistake here.**

**Disclaimer in the prologue.**

**After the man's parting words, we cut back to the condemned building, where James is seen reaching into his coat pockets. He pulls out and shows Qrow a gun in one hand. Then some bullets in the other and loading the gun immediately afterwards.**

James looked at the gun, seeing that it bears a striking resemblance to his own.

**He then shoves the gun to his face.**

Now his eyes widen at what his counterpart is doing.

Glynda gasps while the other heroes stare horrified. Oz looks to his friend, "James, what is your counterpart doing?"

The man in question shakes his head, "I don't know Oz, I always threatened to shoot the man, but it was mostly done in jest."

"Thanks Tin man," Qrow sarcastically said, drinking from his flask as the man glared at him for the nickname.

"Leave Uncle Qrow alone!" Ruby shouts at the guy onscreen, Zwei was growling at the man who threatens his master's uncle, Yang glared at the man with red eyes, and their friends were trying to calm them down.

Raven and Vernal glare daggers at the scene, whether he is a traitor or not, he is still Raven's baby brother.

The villains look on, curious at how this would play out.

**"You wanna play games?" He asks with a sneer. He pushes the gun deeper against Qrow's head with real malice. Qrow just smirks at him, "You're bluffing." James narrows his eyes, pulls his gun away to the side and fires. Qrow flinched and his eyes widen. James slowly puts the gun barrel against his temple again.**

**Qrow, rattled by the very REAL treat of eating a bullet, says "You wouldn't..."**

**"I WOULDN'T!" James shouts as he moves closer to him.**

Almost everyone jumps at the scream.

**Then, he suddenly turns calm. He reaches into his pocket again and pulls his lucky coin out. "No." he says calmly, "I wouldn't. That's why I'm not going to leave it up to me." He then shows him one side, "Heads: you get to keep your head. Tails:..." he shrugs, but doesn't show the other half, "not so lucky. So, you want to tell me about the Joker?" Qrow, scared, says nothing.**

**James flicks the coin into the air, and once it's close enough slaps it onto the back of his gun hand, aiming with his wrist horizontal.**

**Qrow, and the heroes in the audience, holds his breath. He shows him the result, "Heads." Qrow exhales, shaking like a leaf.**

**"Go again?" He asks rhetorically.**

"No thanks," Qrow begins to sweat, hoping that his luck wouldn't screw him over. His family was hoping for the same.

**Qrow, now sobbing, yells out "I don't know anything!" James didn't believe him and points his gun at him again. "You're not playing the odds, my friend." He pulls the gun away again. "Again."**

**He tosses the coin, but this time it doesn't land, a hand grabs it before it could. They look to the side, and sees Batman, much to the thug's relief and James' exasperation.**

The family all sigh in relief, and the heroes start to relax.

Many of the villains start to pout, upset that Batman ruined the moment.

**Batman looks disappointedly at him, "You'd leave a man's life to chance?" He asks enraged. James however, doesn't back down and looks directly in his eyes. "Not exactly."**

**Batman shakes his head and points to the tied-up man. "His name's Branwen, Qrow. He's a paranoid schizophrenic, a former patient at Arkham. The kind of mind the Joker attracts." Batman moves away from Branwen.**

**As he passes James, he says "What do expect to learn from him?" The man turns around, shivering with frustration.**

Qrow pouted, "Fuck you too, asshole." He hers his family snicker, but only has his eye twitch when he hears Raven and Vernal laugh.

**He looks at Batman's back, "The Joker killed Oz, and the Frost sisters. He's going to kill Glynda next and I..." He looks so lost in that moment, he couldn't imagine what a world would be like without her in his life.**

Glynda and James blush at the love and care that he's showing.

**Batman turns around and gives him a long glance, "You're the symbol of hope that I could never be. Your stand against organized crime is the first, legitimate, ray of light that Vale has seen in decades."**

Now James sits up straighter, feeling pride in Batman's words. But Qrow ruined the moment when he burped loudly and began to laugh. He raised a hand to massage his forehead, wondering if Oz would be too upset if he did shoot the man, 'maybe in the leg or something?' the thought made him smile a bit.

**He points at Qrow behind them, "If anyone saw this, everything will be undone. All the criminals you pulled off the streets would be released. And Ozpin will have died for nothing."**

**Batman walks close to James and hands him his lucky coin back, then he says, "You're going to call a press conference, tomorrow morning."**

**James looks confused. "Why?"**

"Yes, why?" James asked, as confused as his other.

**Batman turns away in guilt and walks away, "No one else will die because of me. Vale is in your hands, now." As he leaves, James shakes his head in disbelief. "You can't. You can't give in! YOU CAN'T GIVE IN!"**

The heroes look on in sadness, Weiss and Winter especially when they see their brother's defeated look.

**The scene changes to inside a bedroom, inside Whitley's penthouse, where Glynda is standing by the window, watching over the city.**

**Whitley then enters the room.**

**Not turning away from the sight, she says "James called. He says Batman is going to turn himself in." Whitley walks closer, shaking his head as he stops at the foot of the bed behind her, "I have no choice." he says softly.**

**Glynda had enough and turns to face him with an angry expression on her face. "And you honestly believe that this is going to stop the Joker from killing anymore innocent people?"**

**He sighs as he briefly closes his eyes, "Maybe not. But I've got enough blood on my hands." his posture is that of a man whose had a heavy burden, and that burden has broken him. "I see now, what I would have to become to stop men like him."**

Now the sisters are crying, wishing they could go and help the young man.

**Glynda looks at her friend, knowing that she cannot help him. Whitley turns away and looks out the window, "You once told me that if the day came when I was finished..." He looks back and moves even closer to her. "We'd be together." he stops before her, and gazes into her green eyes.**

The woman, though feeling upset for the man, couldn't help but shiver in disgust. James on the other hand glares at the boy.

**Glynda broke the gaze and wraps her arms around herself, "Whitley, don't make me your one hope for a normal life." He takes her in his arms. "But did you mean it?"**

**She hesitates, then nods. "Yes." He pulls her into a kiss.**

The man's face was turning a lovely shade of red, while Glynda throws up a bit in her mouth and is desperately wishing for some mouth wash. Suddenly one appears on her armrest.

Thanking the heavens, she immediately uncaps it and starts to gargle, much to the amusement of many in the audience.

She then spits out the liquid onto the floor, causing Jack to eye twitch and make the stain disappear.

**As they separate, she looks sadly into his eyes. "But they won't let us be together after you turn yourself in."**

**Whitley nods, and leaves. She watches him go.**

**Inside the bunker, a few hours later, we see Whitley deleting everything from the computer banks, while Klein is shoveling documents into an incinerator. Blueprints, designs, files, anything and everything that could be considered evidence, or instructions for others to use that information for ill was being destroyed.**

Winter nods, "Smart, leave no evidence for other people to use, and no information for corrupt officials to use against the city."

"But Ms. Winter," Winter stares at Penny, "wouldn't that evidence be useful for proving the masses that he is Batman and not just someone who wishes to exploit his fame?"

Her question causes many to think over the situation.

Roman agreed with his fellow ginger. "Yeah," he starts, much to his partner's shock, "I mean, the blueprints I can understand. Wouldn't want anyone else to figure out how my toys work too, right? But those files would no doubt be vital in having the cops believe him." He stops to rub his chin, "Well unless he plans on showing up in his costume that is."

The thieves nod, along with most of the students, now confused as to why he's destroying the evidence.

**He pauses, looking down at a book. "Even the logs, sir?" he turns to his friend. Whitley nods, not turning away from his work. "Anything that could lead this back to Adrian or Glynda."**

**Klein nods and tosses the book onto the fire. He then turns and stares hard at Whitley as he finishes.**

"Oh," Penny says, nodding at the man's claim, "that would make sense." She was glad that he was thinking of the safety of her father.

**The billionaire looks to his friend, defeated. "People are dying, Klein." He bows his head, "What would you have me do?"**

**Klein narrows his eyes into Whitley's form with a fearsome gaze as he walks closer. "Endure, Master Whitley." The younger man looks back. "Take it. They'll hate you for it, sure. But that's the point of Batman... he can be the outcast. He can make the choice, that no one else can. The right choice."**

The students nod, hoping that the man's words would reach out to him. They didn't want the Joker to win.

**Whitley shakes his head as he gets up and puts his jacket on. The two then start to leave. "Today I've found out what Batman can't do. He can't endure this."**

The students now sigh in defeat.

**With a rueful smile, he continues. "I suppose today is the day you get to say, 'I told you so'." He finishes as the two walk side by side towards the lift.**

**Klein, with a heavy long coat on, shakes his head and with a smile says "Today, I don't want to." He paused and leans to the side towards his charge, "Although I did bloody tell you."**

The Schnee's grin at the man poking fun at their brother, while their friends chuckle.

**As the two get on the lift, the Bat-suit sinks into the floor, and the incinerator's door is shut. As the lights turn off starting at the opposite end, Klein makes one final remark. "Although I suppose they'll lock me up as well. Being your accomplice and all." The lift moves up as Whitley turns to his friend with a raised eyebrow, "Accomplice? I'm going to tell them the whole thing was your idea." The two are gone, and the last of the lights powers down, leaving the bunker in darkness.**

Now most in the audience are chuckling while the sisters laugh.

**The image moves to a press room of the Superior Court, in the early afternoon. There, a capacity crowd of reporters, cops, and other public officials have shown up. Standing in front of the podium is James. Whitley is sitting in the crowd, two rows from the front.**

**James clears his throat and leans toward the mikes, "Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you all for coming. I've called this press conference for two reasons. Firstly, to assure the citizens of Vale that everything that can be done over the Joker killings is being done. Secondly, because I have received word that the Batman has offered to turn himself in."**

The heroes look on sadly, knowing that once the truth comes out, Vale is doomed.

**The crowd begins to go wild; reporters standing up to ask questions, flashes from cameras being seen. Lisa could be heard shouting "So, where is he?!"**

**But James continued, "But first. Let's consider the situation: should we give in to this terrorist's demands? Do we really think that-" a different reporter interrupted him, "You'd rather protect an outlaw vigilante than the lives of our citizens?!" The crowd noisily agrees with the reporter. James just calmly motions for them to quiet down. After they settled down, he looked to the reporter. "The Batman is an outlaw..."**

The sisters flinch at the truth of that label.

**Back to the penthouse, Glynda is seen watching the press conference on TV. His voice was heard, "**_**But that's not why we're demanding that he turns himself in. No, we're doing it because we're scared. We've been happy to let Batman clean up our streets for us until now**_**." She was tearing up at what he is being forced to do.**

**We cut back to the conference room, where another person shouts "Things are worse than ever!" Whitley flinches and looks at the person, then at the angry crowd. He bows his head and looks back to James as he leans over the podium.**

"Oh Whitley…" His 'older' sisters whisper as they see him slump down.

**With an impassioned expression, James says "Yes, they are. But the night is darkest before the dawn.**

Glynda blushes at the emboldened speech, causing James to smile once he saw it.

The students all cheer at the man's words, thinking that his speech is just like the reason for why they continue to fight.

**"And I promise you, the dawn is coming." his speech silences the crowd, "One day, the Batman will have to answer for the laws he's broken, but to us! Not this madman!" The crowd seems moved by his words, then, a chant erupts. It started when one of the people shouted out "NO MORE DEAD COPS!" which had the crowd repeat the cry. Lisa, only adding to the fire, shouts "WHERE IS THE BATMAN?" People take up that as well.**

The cheers stop, aghast that the people would so readily throw him under the bus.

**James had lost them, he knows it. In a sad tone, he said "So be it." Then he turns to several of the officers that were next to the podium, "Take the Batman into custody." At this, the crowd suddenly stops.**

**Whitley is sitting there, heartbroken by the chanting as hungry eyes from the people scan the room. Whitley starts to rise...**

The heroes tense up.

**James offer his own wrists to the officer, "I'm Batman."**

**A beat. Whitley stares gob smacked.**

**Inside the penthouse, Glynda jaw-dropped.**

In the audience, many stares in disbelief. They couldn't think or believe what just happened. Everyone was just silent.

**She starts to leave the room, just as Klein walks in. Glynda sees him and approached him. Upset, she asks "Why is he letting James do this, Klein?"**

"Yes," Glynda was the first to shake off the surprise reveal, "why would he let James take the fall?"

**Klein was just as shocked as her, "I-I don't know, miss. He went down to the press conference-" "And just stood by and let this happen?!" She interrupted him, pointing at the TV as they see James being arrested. Klein looks on, sadly. "Perhaps both Whitley and Mr. Ironwood believe that Batman stands for something more important than a terrorist's whims, Miss Goodwitch, even if everyone hates him for it."**

**He points to the TV, "That's the sacrifice he's making, to not be a hero. To be something more."**

Yang groans, "Oh Oum, does this guy always have a speech for everything?"

The Schnees glare at the blond. "Shut it Xiao Long." Weiss growls at her, causing her to raise her hands in mock surrender.

**Glynda glares at the screen, "Well, you're right about one thing. Letting James take the fall is not heroic." She turns back and holds out an envelope. "You know Whitley best, Klein. Give this to him when the time is right."**

**Klein looks sadder, knowing what was inside. "How will I know?" Glynda smiles sadly at him, "It's not sealed." He takes the envelope, and Glynda gives him a peck on the cheek. She hugs him as she says "Goodbye, Klein." The man starts to tear up, but returns the hug with a soft "Goodbye, Glynda."**

**The two separate and Glynda grabs her keys and quickly leaves.**

Glynda couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding when watching that scene.

**The screen switches to a cell in the MCU later that day, James sitting on one of the spare chairs. A Detective unlocks the cell and lets Glynda inside, then the person closes the door, leaving the two alone. James sees her and gets up, saying "I'm sorry. I didn't have time to talk this through with you."**

**Glynda shakes her head and looks worryingly at him, "I know what you're trying to do. Don't offer yourself as bait, James." James looks down and sighs. "They're transferring me to central. This is the Joker's chance, and when he attacks, Batman will come to take him down."**

**Glynda steps closer and hugs him. "No." she says, "It's too dangerous."**

Glynda nods in agreement, unknowingly taking the General's hand for comfort, much to his joy.

**The Detective from before knocks on the door, signaling that her time was up. James lets go of her, and resolutely walks towards the door.**

**Outside, in the courtyard of the MCU; Bart, Blake and other detectives stare at James as he is led, shackled, to the waiting convoy. Bart begins clapping, and a handful join in, but most remain quiet, silently paying tribute to the brave man before them.**

James felt touched at the level of respect he's gained.

**Glynda follows him to the back of one of the armored vans, trying to persuade him to rethink his decision. "I know that he's using you as bait, but he doesn't know if he can catch the Joker. He's failed so far."**

The reminder of that caused many to flinch.

**James stops before he steps inside the back, "How do you know what he's thinking?" Glynda, not willing to reveal the secret, steers the conversation away. "I just do, okay? James, this isn't just about you. What about all the people counting on you to turn Vale around? Please, just tell everyone the truth-" James kisses her, to the hooting of the detectives and cops looking.**

The same happened here where Glynda and James both blushed, but only one smiled goofily at it, and the heroes mostly cheered on the kiss, making them blush harder.

**He pulls away, reaches into his pocket, and pulls out his lucky coin again. He shows her one side, "Heads, I go through with it."**

**Glynda, blushing from the recent kiss, glares at her idiot, "This is your life, you don't just leave something like this to chance, you idiot."**

Glynda grounds her teeth at seeing that stupid coin again.

**James winks, then tosses it at her. Glynda catches it and looks to see which side it landed on. Heads. He smiles at her as she looks back, and sincerely says "I don't." She looks back to the coin and turns it over. Her eyes widen when she sees that it's double-headed. She looks up, and watches as the doors close on his dorky smile.**

**She shakes her head, a bit amused by the trickery. "You make your own luck."**

Now she stares in disbelief, remembering all the times that man onscreen was using that coin. She started to pout, he was cheating.

"Huh," Roman said softly, leaning to his partner in crime, "I might just use that." Neo silently nodded in agreement.

**As SWAT teams file into the back of the convoy, one of officers, the acting commissioner, looks at the rows of personnel and says "We get this guy up to County, and he's their problem. The streets along your route will be cleared. This convoy stops for NO reason. Do you understand?" "Sir, Yes Sir!"**

James and Winter nods at the discipline these officers were showing.

**Inside one of the two armored vans, A SWAT with a shotgun climbs into the passenger seat. The guy pulls off his mask and adjusts his helmet before looking over at the driver, who's fully kitted out. He nods to the driver and says, "Hope you've got some moves."**

**Outside, in Tenth Avenue, Downtown, the convoy is seen going past a premade roadblock. Inside the back of the second van, the guard sitting across from James was staring at him in fascination. James just smiles at him.**

Many were impressed by the amount of personnel in the convoy. *whistle* "Man these guys aren't taking any chances, huh?" Yang says, her friends nodding along.

**The screen then cuts to an intersection, where an officer is holding up traffic. Just then, a truck pulls up and the officer waves his hands in the air as he moves to the driver's side. He gets to the door, and sitting in the driver's seat, with a typical trucker outfit with a cowboy hat, is Vernal.**

The woman in question stares at her counterpart. "Wait, I'm a trucker in this?" She couldn't believe it, she wasn't with her leader, in fact it looked like she was never a part of her faction.

Raven rose an eyebrow, "So that's why you weren't at the conference." She spoke to her softly.

**She was looking towards the road, but she turns when she sees the cop coming up to the window. She looks at him as he says, "Look, miss, you gonna have to wait like everybody el-" Without warning, the Joker pops up from the passenger seat with a shotgun pointed to him, and immediately fires a shot off point blank, sending the cop flying.**

The loud shot made many jump, some clutching their chests to calm their beating hearts.

Ruby paled, holding Zwei tight, while Yang and Tai hugged her. The other students flinch at seeing their friend/crush again.

The teachers bow their heads in remorse, thinking that the officer didn't deserve that.

The villains are now looking intently at the screen, Tyrian grinning at seeing him work. Salem and Cinder hummed, wondering what his plan of action was.

Vernal meanwhile pales at this, her other was working for the Joker. She turns to apologize to Raven, but the woman raises her arm and says "Stop. I don't blame you for following him, if my idiot brother couldn't resist him, I doubt you would." Vernal nods, happy that she wasn't too upset.

Qrow just glares at his sister for the crack at his intelligence.

**Back to the convoy. Inside the lead patrol car, the cop behind the wheel slows down as he sees something burning in the intersection ahead. Overhead, a police bullhead is seen going over the convoy to check the issue and stops. There, blocking the road that the convoy needed to take, is a burning firetruck.**

"Oh, that's not good." Blake says. Yang want to chuckle at the pun here, but she stopped herself, knowing that the people driving the thing were most likely dead.

Tyrian had no such dilemma and proceeded to laugh at his 'son's' joke.

**Back to the SWAT van, the driver narrows his eyes as the radio crackles. "**_**All units be advised. Prepare to exit down Cheviot west and proceed north on lower 5th avenue**_**." The SWAT riding shotgun looks to the driver in disbelief, "Lower 5th? We'll be like sitting ducks down there."**

**On the street, we see the convoy as it passes the firetruck and disappears down the exit ramp. Now in lower fifth avenue, the convoy rolls through the subterranean streets. As the convoy merges, a garbage truck is seen as it pulls up from the side and casually swipes the rear vehicles of the convoy off the road. It then drives faster and swipes another off. Inside the truck, we see Sage in the driver's seat.**

Cinder and Salem grinned in anticipation.

Meanwhile, Glynda and James raised an eyebrow, how did the Joker manage to time this so perfectly?

The students tense at seeing that man again.

**Back to the armored car, the passenger SWAT grabbed his gun as he shouts to the driver "Get us out of here!"**

**The Driver puts the petal on the metal as the whole convoy starts to go faster. On the underground street, Sage's truck pushes hard on a third patrol car, ramming its rear bumper, and forcing it to the side and crashing into a civilian van.**

Many glared at him causing an accident, as well as him dwindling down the convoy's numbers.

**Back to the SWAT van, the driver watches as the truck begins to fill his rear-view mirror. It then smashes into their rear bumper, the view briefly switching to James as he is jostled around from the impact. As the driver tries to keep them level, the other Swat picks up the radio. "We've got company back here, we need back up now!"**

**In the SWAT van in front of them, the driver nods and says to the team behind him "We got trouble, people." As he sees the garbage truck in his rearview, he told the team to get ready for action. Just then a large trailer smashes into the side of the van, smashing it through the concrete barriers and into the river.**

The heroes couldn't help but gulp, the convoy was being picked off one by one, and now an entire SWAT van filled with reinforcements were tossed into the drink.

The villains were cheering at this, seeing the cops on the losing side. The heroes glared at them for that which only served to fuel their celebrations.

Cinder was especially taking huge joy at seeing the despair and anger coming from the enemy. 'I wonder what you plan on doing next.' Her loins were burning in anticipation.

Pyrrha meanwhile felt a disturbance. She felt it before, centered around the multi-haired girl and the woman in red, but she thought it was her imagination. Now the feeling came back, and she felt angry.

**The trailer struggles to right itself after that, the side of it having an image of a circus and is branded "LAUGHTER" on one side, but an "S" has been spray-painted at the front to spell "SLAUGHTER" with "HA, HA, HA" all over the other side.**

Tyrian and Neo snicker at the word play.

**The Joker's truck dodges between support columns and into the oncoming lane before finally stabilizing. It then pulls alongside the armored van. The driver looks over, and the cargo door on the truck slides open. Inside, the Joker is seen with several clowns and holding up a machine pistol. The driver locks up its brakes to keep them out of the field of fire, but Sage pushes it back forward as the Joker fires in their vague direction, bullets slamming into the side of the vehicle.**

Many of the heroes flinched at the hits the van was taking.

Cinder was left disappointed and pouted at the screen, "Wait that's it?" Salem couldn't help but agree, "This is very lackluster, young man."

**Inside the back of the van, the SWAT calmly ducks as James flinched heavily from the bullet indentations appearing close to their heads.**

**Back to the rear trailer of the truck, the Joker drops his pistol as one of his clowns, the monkey tail showing it to be Sun, hands him a shotgun. He immediately fires the thing at the van, even taking a knee to get a firmer stance as he continuously fires at them.**

Cinder shook her head, "That's better, but you should try harder."

**Back to James, the shells are making a larger indent, but the armor is still holding strong. James looks to his guard as he points to the wall behind him, "These things are built for that, right?" The guard nods and says, " Don't worry sir. The Joker would need to use something a lot tougher to get through the armored plating."**

The heroes were gaining hope, reassured by that SWAT guy that the Joker will never get to them. "Ha-ha, what're gonna do now Vomit Boy?" Yang taunts him.

**Back to the Joker, he drops his gun when it ran out of ammo, and a woman in a red dress and half mask hands him an RPG.**

"Oh, come on!" Glynda turns to glare at the younger blond, "You should never try to tempt fate, Miss Xiao Long."

Yang meekly nods and slumps back in her seat in embarrassment, much to her team's amusement. She then sat up straight, 'Wait, was that one of the twins?'

Cinder meanwhile grins, "Now that's more like it." Neo certainly approves, if her wide grin is anything to go by.

**Back to the van, the SWAT passenger looks to see what the Joker was holding in stunned disbelief, "W-What is that? Is that a bazooka?!" The Joker then fires, but the angle was slightly off, and it flew ahead of the truck,**

"Ha-ha, you missed!" Mercury jeered at the inaccuracy of the man, with Emerald, Neo, and Cinder glaring at him for that remark.

**and instead hit the back of the patrol car in front of them.**

His laughter was cut short, and the three ladies grin in victory.

**A third clown, one who was fatter than the others, handed Miltia another rocket, who hands it to her boss. He quickly reloads, then aims again and fires, but Vernal slightly swerves to avoid a car and he ends up missing again and hits the police car, again.**

**"Man, that driver must have the shittiest of luck." He remarks as he watches the car flips onto its side and the van was forced to slam past it. The others nodding their heads.**

The heroes and thieves could only repeat the motion of the clowns.

"Man, that cop was hit by two missiles from the Joker, and he wasn't even aiming at the guy." Roman couldn't help but feel sorry for the guy.

**He then hears a weird humming sound ahead, so he turns to the front. There, racing towards them, is the Tumbler.**

"Yay!" Ruby shouts, happily tossing Zwei up in the air, and then catching him. His happy barks showing that he was having fun too. "The hero always comes in the last minute to save the day!" She then stands on top of her seat and points at the villains, "Take that, you fiends, Justice will prevail!"

"Get down from there, you dunce!" Weiss was embarrassed by her partner's actions and pulled her down by her cloak, lightly chocking the poor girl, and put her back to her seat.

**The Joker stares, smirking at the sight, as the Tumbler is on a collision course with the van. The driver, realizing what the man planned on doing, swerved to the side, allowing the Tumbler to pass by and plows straight into the garbage truck. The low-profile of the armored car caused the truck to ramp it, drive up and smash into the concrete ceiling, the whole top half of the front crumpling like a tin can on impact.**

Blake and Weiss flinch, thinking that their friends' teammate was most likely killed from the crash.

**The Tumbler carries on though, dragging the remains of the truck for a couple feet before stopping and allowing what remained of Sage's truck to slide right off. It then backs up before it turns around to rejoin the pursuit.**

**The Joker looks back to the crash, a bit amused by what he did.**

Now the girls were glaring at him, 'did he not care for the s-,' they suddenly remembered the bank scene and immediately stopped.

**Sun looked at him, fear in his voice, "Is that him-?" The Joker interrupts, "Anyone could be driving that thing. Stay on James." He reassures his crew. The Joker reloads, lines up his RPG and prepares to fire one more time, sure that he wouldn't miss a third time.**

**Inside the Tumbler, Batman watches as the Joker prepares to fire. He pushes a few buttons and toggles the afterburner.**

**Back to the Joker, he steadies his aim and fires. We switch to Batman as he presses a button, and the Batmobile's afterburner activates as it quickly moves between the two vehicles and jumps, taking the hit from the RPG and explodes.**

**"Goddamn it, not again!" Joker yells as he ducks down with the rest.**

The sisters pale, praying that Whitley would be alright.

Most of the thieves snickered at the complaint.

Neo, Cinder, and Salem glared while Tyrian shouts at the screen, "Hey, leave my son alone, he just wants to kill that guy, is that so wrong?!"

The heroes immediately shout back "YES!"

**The rear of the Batmobile explodes, spinning the flaming car away from the chase and continues to flip.**

**Inside the front of the van, the SWAT's flinch away from the explosion as the driver stops the van due to the dust from the explosion. In the back, James is thrown from his seat due to the shockwave. In the front seat of the trailer, Vernal takes a debris hit to the head and cries out as she swerves to the side.**

**Inside the trailer, the Joker cackles with amusement as everyone are tossed about like it was a carnival ride, as well as vindication that he managed to make Batman pay for making him miss again.**

Tyrian grins as he nods, "Yes! Ha-ha, take that you overgrown, flying rat!"

**Back to the Tumbler, it continues to tumble as parts of the vehicle are tossed away from the wreck before finally stopping at a particularly strong column in a smoking heap. The front end was mostly intact, but the rear tires were scattered across the roadway.**

The sisters are even more pale, if that was possible.

**Inside, Batman looks at the screens and sees the extent of the damage.**

Now they relaxed, glad that he was still alive. The "Aww" coming from the crazy Faunus caused them to glare at him.

**Seeing that it was hopeless to remain, he wrestles some controls, before his seat lowers into a lower section of the car.**

**Outside the wreck, a small crowd gathers around the wreck.**

**Back to the circus truck, the Joker jumps down from the trailer, still giggling like a kid. He looks back to where the Tumbler crashed, and smiles. "Heh, that's what you get, dork knight." The Joker then goes to the front and opens the door. There he sees Vernal slightly bleeding from a headwound but still alive.**

Vernal gulps, wondering if he would kill her for slowing him down. 'Please, let me live. I don't want to have a load to the face.' She then blushed at how her mind phrased that.

**"Excuse me, my dear, but I want to drive now." She nods her head and moves to the passenger seat. He jumps into the now vacant seat and before taking the wheel, he takes out some gauze and silently hands it over to her (1).**

Vernal blinked in shock, she was sure that she would die there. She also blushed harder when she saw him handing her the medical equipment, holding her hands over to where her heart was as it beats faster.

Raven sees this and rolls her eyes. 'Well,' she thinks, 'at least this man would make a wonderful addition to the tribe.' As she thinks this, she wonders if their version could be as useful, only without the crazy. The idea of it caused a bit of red to stain her cheeks.

Over to Pyrrha, her feeling came back, this time over to the two bandits.

**He then drives back onto the roadway.**

**It switches over to the SWAT van, now without any backup or other support. The driver starts to drive again, seeing the trailer was on the move again. He manages to pull ahead, but the trailer was in hot pursuit. In the passenger seat, the SWAT glances at the rear-view mirror, and slaps the dash in frustration before turning to his partner. "Let's get topside, we need that air support NOW!"**

Those from Atlas nods, any kind of support would be welcomed.

**The driver nods and outside, the armored car pulls onto a ramp, heading up and out. The trailer follows close behind, its longer section smashing into the nearby column before moving forwards. The Joker was grinning as he drives, saying "I like this job, I like it!" With Vernal giggling along.**

The heroes were horrified, they didn't want to see the face of this young man be so twisted in evil any longer.

Neo and Tyrian were grinning, feeling the same as him when going out on the job.

Vernal started to giggle, remembering all the good times she had. Pillaging villages, taking whatever they want, watching her tribe members getting drunk after a successful raid. 'I wonder if our version would like that for a date?'

Pyrrha shivered heavily, partly due to fear, another at something else.

**Back to the wreckage, people are staring at the smoking hunk of metal, a few even inching closer. Inside, Batman adjusts his position, then hits a button. In a voice that sounds familiar, the Tumbler says "Warning, damage catastrophic. Initiate eject and self-destruct."**

"PENNY?!" Ruby shouts in disbelief, "why are you in that car?!"

Penny was just as confused, "I do not know, friend Ruby. Maybe because my 'father' made it, he had me installed as well."

**Arm guards grabs Batman's forearms as outside, one of the front tires begins to move. Armored plates begin to shift and explosive bolts fire all around the pod. Inside Batman reaches for two overhead levers and turns them sideways. Back outside, a pair of what looks like weapons** **emplacements appear on either side of the spinning wheel. He then reaches one final lever and flicks it.**

Watts, James, Winter, Weiss, and Penny stared in amazement, mentally taking notes on what they're seeing.

Ruby and Yang were drooling at the weapons.

**Outside, the crowd jumps back as the panels in front of the wheel blows out and Batman emerges, hoisted up and out of the flaming car by the pod. Levering over the front wheel, the pod pushes the other front wheel to form a type of motorcycle. The new Bat-pod shoots forwards, bursting free as it quickly moves away from the remains.**

"Oh, that looks sweet!" Yang grinned at the bike.

**Inside the Batmobile, Penny's voice says a final "Goodbye", and the whole thing detonates, the Tumbler dying in a massive fireball.**

Ruby teared up and hugged Penny, "No!" The girl shivered as she watched her own 'death' happen and returned her first friend's hug.

Yang and Blake held their heads down in silence, paying respect to such an awesome vehicle.

**Batman's cape sucks together, forming a sort of tight pack over his shoulders, clear of the rear tire of the Bat-pod.**

**Cutting to inside of a taxi, on the lower street in the middle of traffic, the driver stares through his rear-view mirror, while cleaning his teeth before it spontaneously breaks as the Bat-pod tears past. He stares at the missing mirror, before the screen switches to the bat-pod as Batman accelerates, oblivious to the piles of cleaved wing mirrors as the bat-pod rushes through traffic, then crosses a busy intersection.**

Weiss and Winter's eye twitched in unison at their brother's wanton destruction,

Qrow and Yang merely grinned.

**The Bat-pod cuts off the crowded lower level street, roaring over into the parking lanes.**

**Back to the chase, the armored car is racing down the street, where the bullhead sees them and dips low. The pilot of the craft looks at the chase happening below, and the snipers in the back cock their weapons in preparation. "We're back on point, and ready to give these bastards some of their own medicine." He says over the radio.**

**The SWAT in the passenger seat looks to their saviors, sighing in relief as he points to the craft "Oh yeah, that's what I'm talking about. Air calv."**

The heroes looked to the Chopper in hope, thinking that the van will be safe now.

**Inside the truck, the Joker saw the vehicle and smirked.**

"What are you smirking at, Scarface?" Mercury mocks, earning a swift smack to the back of the head by Cinder and a kick to the groin by Neo.

**He tries reach over and open the truck's gearbox while he was driving but Vernal, having by now finished bandaging her head and putting her hat back on, said "Don't worry boss, I got this", and opened the glovebox for him and took out his scroll.**

**The Joker pouted at her, "Aww, I wanted to see if I could do it myself~." Vernal just smirked at him.**

The woman mirrored her counterpart, happy to be of help.

**He then shrugged and told her to call the others. After she did that, he takes the scroll and says, "Alright people, rack 'em up."**

**In a fire escape, a thug with blue hair and a clown mask loads up the same cable gun seen in the bank heist and lays prone on his stomach. In a second fire escape another woman, this time in a white dress and half mask loads her own cable gun while taking a knee as the Joker's voice could be heard in their scrolls "Rack 'em up, rack 'em up, rack 'em up." The two fires the cables, across the street at the same level as the helicopter, the wires pulling taut as the bullhead approaches unawares.**

The heroes pale while the villains stare in amazement.

Yang thought 'Oh, there she is.' Referring to the other twin. Weiss. meanwhile, was glad that Neptune didn't show up in the trailer but was now fearing what he was doing with that cable.

Cinder and Raven shivered in want. "How," Cinder moans a bit, "how was he able to plan this all out~?"

Many were creeped out by this, but the ones who held a crush for the boy glared at the sensual tone the woman held.

**Inside a passenger car, two small children in the back are pretending to shoot at the cars with their hands, making explosion noises with their mouths. They then see ACTUAL explosions enveloping the cars, causing them to stop in confusion. As the explosions get closer, they watch as the Bat-pod speeds past.**

Weiss and Winter facepalmed while Qrow and Yang laughed.

**Back to the chase the bullhead approached and catches onto the cables, tangling its frame in them, and veers off course. The passenger SWAT looks on in disbelief, "That's not good," he mutters.**

Many nod in agreement.

**The vehicle starts to spin in the air and smashes into a building tail-first before exiting without one of its engines. It continues to spin out of control before aiming down to the street below. The passenger glares, "Ok, that's NOT good!" The bullhead continues to spin as it lands and suddenly bursts into a fiery ball of death and barrels along the street towards the armored car.**

**Inside the truck, the Joker laughs loudly as he smacks the wheel in delight.**

The villains grinned at his plan working.

**The Driver steers around the flaming wreckage and barely avoids smashing into it as the other one shields his face. In the back, James was tossed off his seat again. "Oh what, seriously?!"**

Qrow snickered at this.

**In a narrow alley blocked with dumpsters, the Bat-pod tears its way down and Batman aims its cannons and fires at the dumpsters to make a path.**

**It then switches to outside a station, where the Bat-pod shoots through the glass front doors and barrels through. Batman is driving up the slope and shoots another glass door that leads into a mall. He is then seen driving through the hallway as commuters are screaming and diving out of the way.**

**The Bat-pod then exits the mall and speeds past the exit ramp and onto the upper street, before heading in another alley.**

The sisters were appalled at the level of destruction their brother was causing. 'Maybe taking him off the streets isn't such a bad idea.'

**Back to the trailer, the Joker is smiling as he drives, giggling like he's having the time of his life. Just then, an explosion up ahead occurs, and the Bat-pod emerges from the alley in a cloud of fire, impossibly skidding sideways, before racing towards them.**

"I want that bike." Blake says. Ruby, Nora, Coco, Raven, and Cinder nodded along.

While Yang was happy with her bike, she still wanted the tech that made that bike make that cool maneuver.

Weiss and Winter mentally planned on never letting their brother get on that thing, or any version of it. Ever. The same with Velvet and Ren for their partners.

James, Ozpin, and Watts wondered how it worked, wondering if it could be useful for them.

**Vernal looked a bit nervous, "Uh, Boss?" The Joker mutters to himself, smiling, "Now there's the Batman."**

**The Bat-pod moves pass the SWAT van and is heading straight for the trailer. The Joker sees this and grins, "Ooh, so you want to play? Ok big guy. Let's dance." before switching gears and gunning it. We cut to the Bat-pod as Batman flips a switch, revealing two harpoon hooks just above the cannons. As the two gets closer, Batman fires the harpoons at the truck. They impact low, hitting just below the bumper.**

The sisters gripped their armrests in anticipation.

**The Bat-pod lowers its profile closer to the ground and he veers to the side of the truck, then swerves underneath it and exits out the other. He then wraps the cables around several lamp posts, before approaching the end of the road, and the side of a building.**

They relax but tense up again when he heads towards a building.

**He slows down a bit, and somehow, as the front tire hits the wall it elevates the whole thing, allowing the body of the bike to spin around as it goes backwards, and land with him still right-side up as the bike completely halts.**

Now those who wanted it, did so even more.

The sisters just slumped in their seats, hoping that this rollercoaster of emotions would end.

**Inside the truck, Vernal ducks to see what he did, then comes back up, beaming. "He missed!"**

**Outside, as the truck is still moving, the cables go taut, ripping one post after another from their foundations. The Joker looks at the rear-view mirror, and had just a moment to see his blunder, before the truck's front wheels screech to a halt, flipping it over on its back and slamming onto the pavement hard.**

Everyone "ooh"'ed at the crash. Vernal was wondering if her other was okay, same with Blake for Sun.

**We cut to inside the SWAT van, where the driver stops the car, takes his partner's shotgun, and gets out with the guy shouting behind him, "What the hell are you doing? We can't stop now, we're like sitting ducks out here!"**

**The Batman drives forwards before the view switches over to the overturned truck.**

**There the Joker is seen crawling from the wreckage in some pain, laying on his back once he gets out. He tries to get up with a machine gun in his hands, but he stumbles over his feet and falls on his side, shooting off a few rounds into the pavement.**

The heroes were unnerved that the Joker seemed to have his finger always on the trigger.

**He gets back up though, hitting one of the wires as he does, before he starts walking. As he does this, Vernal was crawling out of the front, while Miltia was being helped by Sun and the fat clown as they start to get out of the wreck as well.**

Vernal and Blake sigh in relief.

**It briefly shows Batman speeding towards their position before switching back, showing Joker with a serious expression on his face as he mutters "Come on, come on, come on, come on!" he starts firing at oncoming traffic, hitting a few cars and causing them to swerve out of the way.**

"What's he doing?" Pyrrha asks, beginning to hyperventilate as her friends try to calm her down.

Vernal and Neo began to bite their nails.

**"Come on, come on, I want you to do, I want you to do it, come on!" he fires again, hitting another car as he stops in the middle of the road.**

Her breathing becomes more erratic.

**"Come on, come on, come on, I want you to do it, I want you to do it. Come on, hit me. Come on, hit me. Hit me!" Batman guns his bike and watches as the Joker holds out his arms, waiting for impact.**

**He screams.**

She pales.

**"HIT ME!" Batman locks up the brakes, veering to the side and slamming its side into the ground as it skids. But he missed the Joker, the man turning his head as he sees him passing by.**

She faints, with her friends trying to revive her as they all breathe a little bit easier.

The other heroes are happy that he didn't smush the Joker into a pancake.

Jack looks at them, "What are you so worried about?" Everyone looks over to him. "Don't you remember what douchebag mob boss said about him?" They think back to what he said, then widen their eyes. He nods, "Yeah, Batman doesn't kill people…" he thinks back to the boy driving the garbage truck, "…well, mostly doesn't kill people."

Tyrian nods, he was never worried that he may see the Joker die. He knew that the Batman didn't have the balls to do that. Same with Salem, she figured that he wouldn't do it.

**The bike continues to skid across the road before slamming into the truck, the man's body flopping out of his bike and laying on the ground face-down.**

**The Joker sucks his teeth, then he reaches into his coat pocket and takes out a switch blade as he starts walking towards him.**

The students pale.

**Sun reaches Batman first, turning him right-side up to see his face. He is unconscious. It switches back to the Joker as he starts to skip along the street. Sun reaches for the Batman's neck to pull off the mask, but an electric shock from the suit throws him back.**

"Well, at least he came prepared." Yang said, impressed at the protection that man goes through for his identity. Though he did feel bad that Monkey Boy got shocked.

**The Joker immediately laughs as he twitches uncontrollably on the ground. Running the last few steps and jumping over Batman's prone form to stand over him, he pretends to twitch his body and making noises to imitate him being electrocuted, before going back to his target.**

Blake glared at him, not happy with his uncaring attitude towards his subordinate. Same with James, Winter, and Ozpin.

Vernal though blushed. She was thinking over what he did for her and believed that she was special to him. Her heart was beating faster.

The feeling within Pyrrha manifested again, causing her to wake up.

**He kneels in front of Batman, his switchblade at the ready.**

The heroes hold their breath.

**But before he could do much else, a shotgun is placed in the back of his head. It's the driver, holding the gun as he cocks a shell into the chamber.**

They now sigh in relief.

**The Joker was not amused, and groaned as he growled "Oh, come on!" Peeking behind him, he says "Look, could you please just give me a min-"**

**The driver pushes him off Batman, and throws him on the ground, taking off his helmet and mask to reveal Ozpin. "We got you, you son of a bitch." he growls.**

Now everyone jaws dropped, they did not expect to see Ozpin return from the dead.

Salem meanwhile, glares menacingly at the man, remembering how his death affected not only her, but their children.

Oz felt the malicious intent and gulped.

**The Joker smirks and drops the knife. He looks around to see his crew kneeling on the floor with the last two SWAT members with their guns at the ready.**

**Inside the armored car moments later, James looks up as the door swings open to reveal Oz smiling at him. James grins back, "Damn, Lieutenant, you really do like to play it close to the chest."**

James huffed in annoyance, knowing the feeling but not happy that his other was so amused by it.

**Oz nods, "We got him, James. It's over" James nods with respect and gratitude in his eyes. He gets up and leaves the van, and they shake hands.**

**Soon, a small army of cops are seen sealing off the roadway. Oz, seeing that everything was in order, gets in a squad car and pulls away, the rear window showing that the Joker was contained there. Reporters are clamoring to James, asking for an interview with the man as he's trying to leave the area.**

**"Sir," one of them asks, "what made you think that the Batman would be there to save you?" James smirked at the reporter, "I trusted him to do the right thing." "And what's that?" He puffs his chest out and proudly proclaims, "Saving my ass!"**

Tai, Qrow, and the students all laugh at the claim, while James just ducks his head in embarrassment.

**Blake pushes through the pack, shoving reporters aside. "Alright people, let him be! He's been through enough." She creates a route for James to pass through and he takes it.**

**Nodding to her, James follows her to a squad car where Adam is seen in the driver's seat. James smiles at her as she opens the rear door. "Thanks, detective. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a date with a pretty pissed off girlfriend." he says as he gets in.**

"Yes," Glynda glares at her idiot, "_he_ does." James shrunk under the powerful glare while Qrow made whipping motions with his hands.

**Blake smiles as she nods, "I figured, counselor." She says and shuts the door, then signals Adam to pull out.**

**We cut to a holding cell in the MCU an hour later. There, the Joker is sitting patiently on a bench in the cage. His makeup has run, and his clothes were a mess, but his calm lends him an odd air of dignity. Cops smash their night sticks against the bars near the Joker's head, but the man does not flinch.**

**Miltia, Vernal, and Sun are in a separate cage, heckling the guards to leave their boss alone.**

"Hmm, so they didn't get all the clowns," Tai says, recovering from his laughing spell and seeing that the other girl and blue boy were not there.

Vernal though, glared at the guards for trying to annoy the poor man. Same with Cinder and Neo.

Tyrian growled at them picking on his son.

**Some of the cops are off to the side, looking over his equipment but it only shows a rather disturbing number of knives.**

**Oz comes up and immediately reigns his men in, "Back away! All of you. I don't want anything for his mob lawyer to use, understand me? Handle this guy like he's made of glass." The guards stood down, a bit embarrassed at being caught. Port then walks in, impressed at the arrest and his handling the situation. He walks up to him and shakes his hand. "Back from the dead, Lieutenant?" he asks while smiling.**

Salem glares harder at her ex and moved to stand.

**Oz nods as he looks determinately at him, "I couldn't chance my family's safety." He looks to the cage, with Port doing the same. They look back and Port asks, "So what do we got?"**

**Oz shakes his head and sighs in frustration. "Nothing. No matches on prints, DNA, dental. Clothing is custom, no labels. Nothing in his pockets but knives and lint. No name, no other alias. Nothing to prove that he exists to begin with."**

The thieves were impressed. With the level of sophistication they saw so far regarding that world's technology, they were sure that they would find _something_ regarding his identity.

The adults though, felt fear. The Joker had somehow managed to delete all records of him existing. How did he do that?

**Port places a hand over his shoulder, "Go home, Oz. Be with your family. The clown will keep 'till morning. Get some rest,"**

**he chuckles as he steps back, "you're going to need it. Tomorrow, you take the big job." Oz looks back with an off look. Port shakes his head and takes his hand for another shake, "You don't have any say in the matter," shouting louder for all to hear, "Commissioner Ozpin!" The cops in MCU start cheering and clapping for their new Commissioner.**

Oz just took the applause in stride. He was more concern with his ex walking over to him, and his friends no longer by his side!

**Some of the cops stop when they hear another clap coming from within the cells. It was the Joker, clapping enthusiastically as he smiles proudly at the man.**

The audience were confused, even Salem stopped for a bit to raise an eyebrow at his weird actions.

**We cut to outside Ozpin's home later, where Oz rings the bell. Salem answers it, looking depressed and dressed in a black dress, but stares in shock at the sight of her thought-to-be dead husband. Oz looks guiltily at his wife's appearance and goes to hug her, "I'm sorry, I couldn't tell you. I couldn't risk-" She slapped the crap out of him,**

Salem nods and goes over to Oz, there she did what her other did and slapped him hard. The only problem was that she was a super powerful being in comparison to her counterpart, and so her slap caused Oz to fly off his seat and crash into one of the shelves.

He slowly slides off, revealing that the wood didn't even splinter, and all the women nodded in respect as the Grimm Queen silently goes back to her seat, Raven and Hazel grinning at the pain he was no doubt feeling. The guys felt sorry for him but were too scared to help.

**but he just took the punishment without a sound and hugs her, holding her tight as she sobs.**

Oz struggles to get back up, but he stops when he hears the sobs.

**The sound draws the attention of their four children as they walked in the room to see what the matter was. They were all wearing little black dresses and were as sad as their mother was.**

Now he felt guilty. Salem meanwhile tears up at seeing her little angels looking so upset. 'This is your fault, Ozma!' she thought as she wipes away her tears.

**Once they saw who was holding their mommy, the youngest child, Circe (2), hesitantly calls out "Pappa?" The couple breaks the hug as Ozpin looks to his children. He smiles at them, and says "Hello sweethearts, I'm home." They begin to tear up, "PAPPA!" They shout as they rush to their daddy, enveloping him in a group hug.**

The girls "awe"'d at the touching scene, happy the family was reunited. Those who has/d families of their own could only cry in happiness.

Oz meanwhile finally got up and slowly limps over to his chair again. He sees his friends were already back in their seats like nothing ever happened and thought 'traitors' as he lightly glares at them, flinching as his bruised back hits the rest.

Salem just smirks in satisfaction, 'You had that coming Ozma.' before she looks back to the screen and softly smiles at her happy family.

**Salem smiles at the sight, still crying but she soon regains her composure and quickly goes to join in on the celebration, her family complete once more.**

She closed her eyes, thinking up a fantasy of what might have been. Her daughters alive and well, her husband gazing at her lovingly as they watch them play. She smiled at the thought and another, lone tear, gently falls down her cheeks.

**END**

**Oh Gods, that took forever to type up. Over 10,000 words and officially my longest chapter to date! My fingers hurt. I'm stopping here on a high note because it only gets worse from here on out. Peace!**

**1\. Before you ask, remember that the Joker is manipulative as fuck, showing that he 'cares' can make a person easier to trust him, especially someone who's heard what happened to her previous boss.**

**2\. Name for a Goddess of magic, or witch, in Greek Mythology.**


	10. Why So Serious? Pt 9

**Chapter 9: "Why So Serious?" Pt. 9**

**Warning: Major Review dump. Incoming!**

**HalloweenJackal0w0****: While that would be awesome, I actually won't need to. This chapter has the hospital scene, and the burning money, in it. This will cement just how manipulative the Joker really is, causing others to fear if they would be next in his web of lies, and if it's worth having him by their side.**

**warrior of six blades****: Well, the two are loyal to the tribe, that's true. Which is why I'm having them think of how useful he could be if he joins, hence the want. Remember, this whole story mostly revolves around key aspects of Jaune, this world shows his intelligence and leadership skills, with a pinch of crazy mixed in. Take out the crazy and you get one of the most gifted leaders ever (which will come into play at a later chapter), so that's what they're seeing so far.**

**X3runner****: Oh, you better believe it! Soon, the movie will be over, and everyone will wonder whether the good guys won or not. I do believe in that theory, so in the end of this arc Jack will explain everything, really ties in with the Joker's 'odd' behavior and actions here. Also, the theme won't go away, if anything, it will get worse when I introduce some new characters~. Unfortunately, the next movie is going to be an AU insert with Guardians of the Galaxy, then a movie that regard to his future; but after that, yes, Iron Man it is!**

**King-Of-Gods****: glad you liked it, this chapter is going to be EPIC!**

**TheMadShowman****: Oh, I know that it can be a bit...weird, but remember all the shit the Joker pulled? I'm pretty sure she will at least 'appreciate' the way he goes about fucking up Ozpin's plans here. Maybe imagine if their Jaune can pull off similar results~.**

**Zathol****: Well, I think you'll be surprised who I used, but I won't be calling her by name since the Wiki only has her last name listed. Also, I am VERY tempted to do that, sort of like a spit to the face to all those heroes. Dig the knife even deeper when he looks at the screen one more time. But I think I'll end it the same as the movie did, I will be having Jack explain just WHO saved Vale though. That's going to be a real mindfuck.**

**ArcticKnight13****: Forgot about her, and now I have another name for the third daughter. Thank you!**

**UnlawfulGentleman****: Oh yeah, no doubt. And in a future chapter, she is going to have to witness her partner be appealing to a few more mature women, and Weiss will probably tear her hair out in frustration/revulsion... it's her mother and sister BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!**

**the Composcreator****: I used him again because when I compared the scenes, I honestly thought that the actor who played Scarecrow was the same as the Honor Guard, still do. Plus, it would hammer in how shitty his luck is in almost any universe. I'm thinking of a later chapter with American Dad where he's the fish. Can't decide which episode though. I know that it seems like I'm bashing on him, but I'm not I actually like the guy. I also like poking fun at him. Also, I was thinking Tai, the whole murdering his family as he descends into madness bit would get to him, plus he gets to have some screen time. Although Ozpin would work better, he did indirectly kill his daughters when he tried to take them away and seeing another him straight up murdering them could destroy him and get Salem to peruse Jaune further when he 'avenges' them. Lastly, Silent Bob Silent Bob Silent Bob! I just laugh whenever I see him! With the deleted scenes, can do. Never really liked that either, and that would just cause Ruby more heartache than I'm willing to make, might have her be the 'miracle' in the end though.**

**JudgementKing****: While some universes will be seen in a single chapter, others do in fact take similar lengths. This is so that I can show the same level of dedication as Dark Knight, while also giving me time to think of other worlds to visit. I actually had a few stored up, but due to a certain problem, most of them were wiped and I don't have the will to restart them.**

**WearyCurmudgeon****: You got it right! I probably should have offered a prize for that, oh well. Anyway, Salem would probably want him even more due to him talking with James for a few minutes AT MOST and had one of Ozpin's closest allies turn on him as a result. Plus, it isn't Joker who is going to be holding a gun to their oldest daughter's head. Hint hint.**

**Anyway, a lot of you loved ending for the last chapter, especially the mini beat down Ozpin got from Momma Salem. Hope you enjoy this one just as much!**

**So yeah, I'm sure you guys noticed that I reuploaded the previous chapter. The reason for that was because someone noticed a small discrepancy and told me that I was accidentally putting down 'helicopter' instead of 'bullhead'. I know that it's a bit weird, but I just couldn't leave it alone. Some of what is in this chapter kind of has this be a small plot hole that I didn't want in my story. I apologize for any confusion, and as a peace offering, I combined the next two chapters into this one massive one! You can thank ****Zeroth17**** for helping me with the second part, thank you for the help and I hope you love it!**

**Disclaimer in the prologue.**

**The screen leaves the happy family and goes back to the holding cells in the MCU, where the last of the Joker's crew are being processed. Vernal, Miltia, and Sun were in one cell, and the last one who was seen with the Joker was being led to a different one.**

**Without the mask, the audience sees that it's a she, with light skin and short blonde hair kept in a bob haircut, a beauty mark under her right eye, lipstick on her upper lip and purple nail polish on her fingernails (1). Since she is the last to be checked, she gets to wait in her own cell.**

Raven, Vernal, and Roman narrowed their eyes in recognition.

**One of the detectives, Peach, turns to Bart and says "Look at these ugly freaks."**

**The chubby woman walks closer to the bars, clutching her stomach. "I don't feel good." She moans. Peach glares at the killer, "You're a cop killer. You're lucky to be feeling anything below the neck."**

Winter and James glared at the woman, feeling just a hint of satisfaction to her pain.

**Alone in his cage and far from his crew, the Joker smirks at this.**

**We cut back to Oz's home, where we are in a child's room. There, Ozpin crouches by his oldest daughter's beside. He reaches out to touch Oma's cheek as she sleeps.**

The girls and some of the women couldn't help but "Aww" at the cute scene. Salem and Ozpin smiled at seeing their daughter look so peaceful.

**Her eyes slowly open, staring at her daddy as if she was still dreaming. "Did Batman save you, daddy?" she whispers. Oz looks at his daughter, and a little pride seeps in his voice, "Actually," he grins, "this time I saved him."**

Salem rolled her eyes, while Oz puffed out his chest, only for him to stop and flinch due to his back still being a bit bruised.

**Suddenly his scroll starts ringing.**

**We go back to the MCU, where Oz is seen in a hallway pushing through a swarm of detectives that are crowded outside an observation room. When he enters, he already sees that Blake, Peach, and Bart are all there. He then looks through the glass, and everyone in the audience notices that it's the same one from when Watts had his turn.**

**The Joker can be seen, both through the glass as well as on a large monitor, just sitting there. Calm. Collect. Bored.**

"How could he be so calm?" Blake asked. "There's got to be a reason for this."

Her partner groaned, "Come on Blake, just be happy that he's locked up now." She placed her arm around her shoulder in a side hug and grinned. "Besides, this version is crazy, remember? Who knows what's going on in his head." Blake shivered. "That's what I'm worried about." She whispered.

**Oz glares at the clown's image, "Has he said anything, yet?" Blake shakes her head sadly. Oz leaves the room and pushes through a door into the interrogation room. The Joker, was sitting in near darkness, wrists handcuffed together, when Oz walks in.**

**He sits down on the chair opposite him. The Joker smiles friendly at him, "Evening, Commissioner." Ozpin glares harshly at him, "James Ironwood never made it home."**

The heroes tensed, feeling a sense of foreboding come over them.

The villains on the other hand. They leaned forward in their seats in anticipation, interested in what happened to the man.

**The Joker smirked, "Of course not."**

**Oz gritted his teeth, "What have you done with him?"**

**He laughs, "Me? I was right here." He raised his arms to show his bound wrists, then points to Oz with a raised eyebrow. "Who did you leave him with? Hmm, **_**your**_** people?" he grins, "Assuming, of course, that they are still **_**your**_** people not **_**Jacques'**_**..." He now looks seriously at Oz, "Does it depress you, Commissioner? To know just how alone you really are?" Ozpin can't help glancing at the mounted camera.**

The students were horrified, not willing to believe that a cop sold them out. They then remembered how James said that most in Oz's unit were corrupt. Blake felt a shiver crawl up her spine at the implications.

The adults narrowed their eyes and gripped their armrests tighter at the accusation, remembering times when those they trusted stabbed them in the back, Oz feeling it the most due to his numerous lifetimes.

Salem's faction was thoroughly enjoying the Joker's mind games, especially Hazel.

Raven and Vernal were eagerly eating their popcorn.

**He continues to twist the knife, "Does it make you feel responsible for Jimmy's current predicament?" Oz takes a deep breath to calm himself down and banish his doubts.**

**"Where is he?"**

**The Joker looks to the side for a bit, before looking back. "What time is it?" Oz starts to snarl, "What difference does that make?" He shrugs, "Well, depending on the time, he might be in one spot." He gestures his hands to the left, smiles, "Or several." He then spreads them out as best he could to illustrate his point.**

The heroes shivered at the thought. James and Glynda desperately hoped that Oz would save his counterpart.

**Oz sighs as he stands up, moves to the Joker, and undoes his handcuffs. "If we're going to play games," taking the cuffs with him as he walks away, "I'm going to need a cup of coffee."**

**The Joker chuckles at the predictability, "Aha, the good cop, bad cop routine?" he winks to Oz, and the man pauses, hand on the doorknob. He turns around, "Not exactly." He steps out, and a buzzing noise is heard, before the overhead lights suddenly comes on, showing a large shadow looming over him.**

**The Joker blinks in the harsh white light. WHAM! The Joker's face hits the table, before he is then forced to come back up, muttering "Ow". His vision clears up a bit, and he sees Batman sitting in front of him.**

The students look to the Batman in hope, certain that he would wrestle the information out of him.

The adults though, shook their heads. "You never start with the head." Roman voiced their disappointment.

The students glared at him. "And why not?" Yang asked, her eyes a fiery red. The man just sighs and points to the clown, "I'm sure he will explain it better."

**The Joker stares, at him with a slight glare, his vision still not the best. He then rubs his forehead with one hand as he critiques, "Never start with the head... victim gets fuzzy. Can't feel the next-" CRACK! Batman's fist smashes down on the Joker's other hand which was just innocently laying there.**

Many flinches at the crack. Neo glared at the man dressed like a flying rodent injuring him.

**The Joker just blinks at him, and says in a calm voice, "See?"**

Roman gestures in front of him, "See what I mean?" Yang crossed her arms and grumbled while Neo lowered her glare.

**Batman glares at him, "You wanted me. So here I am." The Joker grins, "I wanted to see what you'd do." A grin, "And you didn't disappoint..." He then laughs, "You let five people die. And then, you let James take your place. Even to a guy like me, that's cold" He shakes his head in mock disappointment.**

The students flinched at the body count, while the adults handled it better. They all felt bad for James taking the man's place and almost getting him killed in the process.

Many of the villains were smiled. Tyrian even copied his 'son' and shook his head while tsking at the Batman.

**"Where's James?" Batman gets to the point. The Joker sighs and rest his head on a hand, "Those mob fools want you gone so that they can get back to the way things were." He smirks in amusement as he shakes his head, "But I know the truth, there's no going back. You've changed things. Forever." Batman looks confused, "Then why do you want to kill me?"**

Many were wondering about that. "Wait," Weiss said, "If the Joker knew that killing him wouldn't change anything, then why go through with it?" Many in the audience nodded at that.

**The Joker starts laughing loudly.**

Many leaned forward, anxious to hear what the mad clown got from this.

**After a few seconds of this, he regains some of his composure back, "K-Kill you? I-I don't want to kill you~. What would I do without you? Go back to ripping off Mob dealers? No, no, God no! No, you..." He points to himself, "You. Complete. Me."**

Those same people all widened their eyes in disbelief. Ok, now that wasn't what they expected.

**Batman sneers at him, "You're garbage who kills for money."**

The teachers all nodded in agreement.

**The Joker immediately points to the man, "Hey, don't talk like you're one of them, you're not!... Even if you'd like to be." He leans forward and stares deeply into his eyes, "You see to them you're just a **_**freak**_**... like me."**

Jaune's friends withered under the "_freak"_ comparison, while the teachers began to think back. The Joker is right, Batman isn't official law enforcement. He's a vigilante.

**He gestures to the cops that were listening to the conversation, "They need you right now, they're desperate." He looks at Batman with something approaching pity.**

**He shakes his head as he continues, "But as soon as they don't... they'll cast you out. Like a leper." The Joker looks into his eyes, searching, wondering if he is close to figuring out the 'truth'. The Joker points to the glass again, "All their morals, their little code... it's a bad joke."**

The students were saddened by the possibility of Batman being casted out like that. Weiss and Winter especially didn't want to see that happen.

**He gestures something being dropped with his hand, "Dropped at the first sign of trouble." He glares at Batman "They're only as good as the world allows them to be. You'll see... when the chips are down, these 'civilized' people? They'll eat each other."**

**He grins and leans back, "See, I'm not a monster," He spreads his arms wide, "I'm just ahead of the curve." Batman suddenly grabs the Joker by the collar and pulls him upright.**

Most jumped in surprise, they didn't think Batman would lose his cool so quickly. Cinder and Neo grinned sadistically at how easily Joker can push his buttons.

**"Where's James?" he growls. The Joker smiles as he chokes out, "You have these rules, and you think they'll save you." Batman then pushes Joker into a section of the wall that wasn't just glass.**

**In the Observation room, Peach is moving for the door, but Oz stops her. He points to the scene, "He's in control." Back in the interrogation room, Batman snarls out "I have one rule." The Joker smirks at his admittance, "Then that's the one you'll have to break, to know the 'truth'." Batman glares, "Which is?"**

**The Joker grins, "That the only sensible way to live in this world, is without rules." His grin widens, "And tonight, you're going to break your one rule..." Batman leans closer to the Joker. "I'm considering it." The Joker shakes his head as best he could, "Well, there's just a few minutes left, so you'll just have to play my little game if you want to save **_**one of them**_**." he says the last bit with relish.**

Many widen their eyes. The heroes felt a dark chill run down their spines, while the villains felt their interest peak even higher. All were wondering/dreading the same question, 'Who's the other?'

**Batman's grip slackens, "Them?" he whispers. The Joker look at him with a shit-eating grin, "You know, for a while there. I thought you really were James, the way you **_**threw yourself after her**_**." He hints at the other person.**

The clue he threw out gave the heroes another chill, Batman only saved one person like Joker described. Glynda began to break out in a cold sweat.

**Batman, in his anger tosses the Joker into the metal table as he laughs and rips off the bolted-down chair before moving towards the door.**

**In the observation room, Oz races for the door, but Batman reaches it first and jams the chair under the doorknob.**

**The Joker, a mad grin on his face, laughs at Batman, grinning as he says "Look at you go." Batman starts to stalk back to the clown.**

**The Joker gets up off the table, cracking his back with a groan, and wags a finger at him, "Does Jimmy know about you and his-?" but Batman interrupts him by grabbing his head and smashing it into the two-way mirror, with the glass cracking in a massive spiderweb from the impact.**

"Jaune, no." Pyrrha and Velvet whispered in fear, desperately hoping that he didn't do what they thought he did while the other students cringed at the impact.

James started to feel unbridled hatred beginning to form at how Joker managed to capture the woman he loves.

Glynda and Ozpin though began to worry deeply over her other.

Tyrian and Neo snarled at how Batman may have caused serious brain damage to Joker.

**The Joker then slides to the floor as Batman stands over him like a man possessed, "WHERE ARE THEY?!" He yells. The Joker looks calmly at him, as though the severe blow to the head didn't bother him at all,**

"how can he be so calm!?" Weiss screamed.

**"Killing is making a choice..." Batman punches the Joker across the face, hard. "WHERE ARE THEY?!" he shouts louder, but the Joker is just feeding off Batman's anger. Still in a calm demeaner, he says "You choose one life or the other." He says as Batman pants softly, "Your friend, the district attorney." He grins, "Or his blushing bride-to-be." He starts to laugh, but Batman punches the Joker hard again.**

**But the Joker laughs even harder. "Y-You have nothing! Nothing to threaten me with. Nothing to do with all your strength!"**

Tyrian grinned in pride at his son taking all those blows in stride. He knew that Batman can hit as hard as he wants, he won't accomplish anything.

Raven and Vernal looked on in respect. The number of blows raining down on him would probably kill a lesser man, especially since this world doesn't have any aura.

The heroes just flinched at each blow, feeling more fear at Joker's proclamation. The heavy hitters in the group feeling a sense of powerlessness from his words.

**Batman grabs him by the collar, but Joker shakes his head. "Oh, don't worry, I'm going to tell you where they are. **_**Both of them**_**, and that's the point," He grins at him, "**_**you'll**_** have to choose."**

**The Batman stares at the Joker in anger, waiting for the information. "He's at 250, 52nd Boulevard. And she's on avenue X at Cicero."**

**Batman drops him and immediately heads out. Batman races past Oz as he asks "Which one are you-" "Glynda!" Batman shouts as he exits the building.**

"Well," Cinder said, looking amusingly at her enemies, "I wonder which of you will survive?"

The heroes glared at her but couldn't help but think who'll survive. James and Glynda were hoping that the other will be saved. "Maybe the Joker was lying." Oz said in the hopes of calming them down, which partially worked.

**Outside, several cops look on as Batman climbs onto the Bat-pod and tears off. In the streets, Batman swerves into oncoming traffic, leaving chaos in his wake. Back at the MCU, Oz orders his men to head to 52nd Boulevard as they scramble into their cars, Blake following him and entering a separate car.**

**We cut to inside a darkened apartment basement, where James is seen unconscious and bound to a chair. A voice could then be heard, "**_**Can anyone hear me?"**_** James starts to open his eyes. "**_**Hello**_**?!"**

Qrow sighs and ducks his head, "Guess that solves that. Sorry Oz, looks like he's got them."

**James shakes his head and gets rid of his drowsiness. "Glynda?" He says as he looks around, just now noticing the dozens of metal barrels surrounding him. "Glynda, is that you?"**

**She is heard again, a soft sobbing echoing in her voice, "**_**James! You're okay. I thought**_**..." The screen switches to one of the barrels, where a lit-up scroll could be seen. "It's OK, Glynda." He tries to reassure her, "Everything's going to be just fine." He looks around, hoping to see something that would help, but all he sees are more metal barrels, several of which are hooked up to a car battery, with a timer counting down: five minutes.**

The heroes hope that 5 minutes would be enough time.

Meanwhile, Glynda was touched that someone would comfort her like that even though they were in a similar predicament.

**Back in the MCU, The Joker is sitting on the space that he was last in, smiling in content. Near him is Bart guarding the door, his gaze pointed forwards. the Joker then sighs and starts muttering "I want my scroll call. I want it." He looks to Bart, "I want my scroll call."**

**Bart looks at him and glares, "That's nice." before looking forwards again.**

Some snorted, trying their best to deal with the heavy situation.

**He smirks, "How many of your friends have I killed?"**

The teachers glared at the question.

**Bart sighs, before looking back. "I'm a twenty-year man. And I can tell the difference between punks who need a little lesson in manners, and the freaks like you who would just enjoy it." He glares fiercely at him as he quietly says "And you killed six of my friends." Joker looks at him and mouths "Six?" in mock surprise.**

Now they wondered if they knew any of the ones that Joker killed, hopefully not.

**In one of the holding cells, the woman shuffles to the bars, where a cop was standing guard. She leans over the bars and in agony, begs, "Please. My insides hurt." The cop was indifferent to the woman's apparent pain and dismisses her. "I don't care, now step away from the bars."**

**She looks at him and smiles through the pain, "The boss said he would make the voices go away. He said he would go inside and replace them with bright lights. Like Christmas." She starts wheezing as she laughs.**

"Hey guys?" Ruby asked, looking around as she hugged Zwei, "What did she mean by that?" No one wanted to answer that.

**The cop shakes his head and glares at her, "You're crazy. Back off!" The woman starts to gurgle and soon collapses on the floor, spasming as she did so. The cop grabs his radio and moves to the door, "Medic to the holding cells, hurry up!"**

"Oh no!" Penny said, worried over what Joker did to her.

**He turns to another cop and points to the door, "Come on, get the door open." He walks inside, where he sees Sun, Miltia, and Vernal peeking over the bars of their own cell, smirking at the scene.**

**He points to them, "You guys back off!" He was a bit unnerved when they started grinning as they slowly stepped back and headed to the other side of their cell.**

"You're not the only one." Blake shivered as she looked at how demented Sun's smile was. 'Is this the result of being around the Joker all the time?'

Vernal just rose an eyebrow at her other's odd behavior, 'Is this a part of the Joker's plan?' She felt a little touched that he thought to include her in his schemes.

**We cut to inside a warehouse, where we see Glynda bound to a chair. Surrounding her are barrels identical to the ones with James. His voice is heard over an identical scroll, "**_**Can you move your chair?**_**" Glynda tries, but the chair's bolted down, "No. Listen James, we don't have much time. They said only one of us was going to make it, and that they'd let our friends choose..."**

**Back to the apartment, James is taking in her words, panting as he listens. He looks around as he tries to calm her down, desperate to find something that could free him. "It's gonna be fine, they're coming for you I promise." Glynda closed her eyes as she shook her head, her tears flowing freely, "I know. Listen to me, let me help. Just talk me through what's happening with you."**

Ruby and Yang hugged each other for support, Weiss and Blake were biting their nails, Nora was being held by Ren, and Pyrrha, Velvet and Coco were tearing up at the scene.

**We cut back to James as he begins dragging his chair, inching closer to the barrels. "Can you find anything? Anything to cut?" He struggles to move, "I'm trying" he strains.**

**We cut to Glynda as she listens to his grunts. "Ok, what's hap- James?"**

**James repeatedly clangs his chair with a barrel as he tries to find a leverage to escape. However, his momentum caused the barrel to topple, taking him with it.**

The students gasped, wondering whether that would help or hinder him in his escape.

**Glynda's voice is heard over the scroll, "**_**James, what's happening**_**?" It cuts to the barrel's lid where the cap was knocked off and diesel fuel is seen spilling out, before cutting back to James laying sideways with one side of his face pressed against the bare floor, watching the open barrel spew the fuel around him. All he could so was spit out the fuel so that he doesn't swallow any.**

Tai gulped, "that can't be good."

**We cut back to the interrogation room. The Joker is still sitting by the broken glass as he smiles at nothing in particular. He asks, "You know why I prefer using a knife, Detective?" Bart just looks ahead, trying to ignore him.**

**"Because guns are too quick. You don't get to savor all the, little emotions." He moves his fingers in front of him to demonstrate his point before looking at his guard. "You, you see. In their last moments, people reveal who they really are." Bart breaths deeply in an attempt to reign in his anger. It isn't working.**

The teachers silently told Bart to ignore him, "Don't fall for it Bart. He's just trying to bait you." Ozpin whispered.

Salem and Cinder rose an eyebrow, wondering why he was doing this.

**He looks to the Joker as the madman continues, "So, in a way, I knew your friends better than you ever did." He smiles tauntingly at him, "Would you like to know which of them were cowards?"**

Many of the adults felt horrified at that, they knew that that was the tipping point.

**Bart smiles and takes off his coat.**

**Inside the holding pins, two medics and a few cops have pulled the twitching woman out of her cell and are kneeling over her. One of the medics opens up the lady's jacket and starts to feel around her chest professionally, noticing a spiderweb tattoo on her left shoulder, but stops when she felt something in the woman's stomach region. She pulls up her shirt slowly, and the screen reveals that her belly has a large incision, which has been closed with crude looking stiches.**

Ruby and Velvet threw up. Thankfully for Zwei, Ruby managed to miss him.

The others weren't much better off, felling horrified by the horrid patchwork. Jack was thankful for that as he will the vomit to vanish.

"Gnarly," Mercury cringed at what he saw while Emerald's face was the same color as her namesake.

**The medic stutters a bit at the half-ass surgery as she struggles to keep her food in. "S-She's got some kind of... contusion..." A rectangular shape is visible under the skin above her navel.**

**We cut back to Bart as he rolls up sleeves, "I know you're going to enjoy this." The Joker cracks his neck in preparation. "I'm going to have to enjoy it, even more." He then reaches for the mad clown.**

The teachers bowed their heads in frustration.

**In Vale's streets, the Bat-pod is skidding sideways, wheels flipping as the gyro keeps Batman upright on the tumbling bike as it continues to haul ass past traffic and passing cars.**

**Cutting back to the MCU. Inside the detective's room, several people were walking around as Peach was standing over her desk, looking over some report before looking up. Her eyes widen and grits her teeth as she and the other detectives pulled out their guns.**

**The screen shifts and everyone sees Bart shuffling out into the room, a piece of broken glass held to his throat by the Joker, with more cops entering behind them with their weapons drawn.**

"So that was his plan." Salem said softly.

Cinder nodded, smirking. "Yes Mistress," she says to her leader, "now the question is 'what's his plan now?'" she said as she sipped from her wine glass.

Blake though, felt fear. "So that's what he planned." Her team looked at her. "Look at what he's holding guys. He has a piece of glass. The same glass that was littered across the floor when Batman slammed his to the wall." Her friends' eyes widen. "He planned for the confrontation. He just gave Joker a weapon."

**"Drop the weapon now!" Peach shouts, trying to get a clear shot but the Joker wasn't making it easy, making the two shifts back and forth to paint a smaller target.**

**Bart struggles in his grasp and growls out "This is my own damn fault. Just shoot him!" The cops and detectives were shouting for the Joker to let him go. "Let him go now!" Peach yells at him, "Drop the weapon and let him go now!"**

**Joker raised an eyebrow as he tilts his head to the side, "What? I'm sorry?" Peach grounds her teeth as asks, "What do you want?!" The Joker stops all movement, and looks directly at Peach and says in a dead serious tone...**

The two leans forward.

**"I just want my scroll call."**

Salem just looked at the man, eye twitching at his 'demand'. Cinder meanwhile did a spit take, angry that of all the things he could've asked for, he went with calling someone. Tyrian laughed, while Watts smirked.

**Peach glances to one of the cops beside her, confused at the request.**

"You're not the only one." Cinder growled, gripping her glass so hard, it shattered.

**Back to the apartment, James is almost half submerged in diesel fuel. Glynda's voice is heard as he continues to spit out the fuel, "James, what's happening? Are you ok?" She sounds desperate. "Just talk to me for one second, please!" It shows the counter, it has less than a minute left.**

The two calmed down, at least they got back to see two of their most powerful adversaries in danger again.

**The detectives look at each other, before Peach looks back and raises a hand in an effort to calm the Joker down from slicing her friend's neck, "Alright, just calm down." The Joker reaches with his free hand towards her and makes a grabbing motion. Peach reaches inside her jacket and pulls out her scroll. She then tosses it to the Joker, who catches it and immediately begins to dial, shushing Bart as he starts to struggle again. Smiling while he does it.**

Cinder grumbled, "What could he possibly be smiling about?"

**He clicks send.**

**Back to the holding area, the lady finally stops twitching, unconscious. The Medic meanwhile gingerly presses around the rectangle, before it stars to illuminate, a soft blue light visible through the skin as a soft dialing tone was soon heard.**

The heroes look on in disgust, is that what they think it was?

**The cops and medics flinch back, surprised by what was inside the woman's body. One of the cops asked in disgust, "Is that a... scroll?" The view retreats back to show the entire room, just as the bomb inside the woman ignites, engulfing both the crowd and the room, shattering the windows as it expands.**

The audience jumped at the explosion that enveloped the small crowd. It took a few seconds for the implications to hit home.

The teachers felt disgusted that the Joker implanted a bomb inside one of his own crewmembers. James, Qrow, Tai, and Oz glared fiercely at the screen, while Glynda and Winter had a hand over their mouths in shocked horror.

Raven and Vernal, though creeped out a bit, were impressed by Joker's ingenuity. 'Though why didn't they notice the bomb in her gut?', Raven thought while Vernal was shocked that her other had known this would happen. 'I am so glad that wasn't me.'

Roman, Emerald, and Mercury felt disturbed. They were hoping that they wouldn't be in a similar situation with their boss.

Neo and Tyrian applauded the 'fireworks', while Hazel and Watts didn't think really care, having either witnessed or done similar things themselves.

The Grimm Queen and Cinder were stunned, they didn't think that that was his intention when he dialed the scroll. Then the former began to blush. "That was ingenious, using a pawn to take out several enemies at once," and if she judged the explosion right, that wasn't the end of it. Her remark did unsettle her own pawns. The latter though, began to smirk. This level of planning ahead and manipulation was exactly what she needed for her forces. "Cinder," the woman looked to her mistress, "I believe that we should consider acquiring Mr. Arc for our forces. He would undoubtedly be of great use to us." Cinder couldn't agree more.

The students all threw up as they witnessed a woman along with several police officers get blown to hell. This time though, Zwei wasn't spared. The dog in question whined as his once pristine fur was matted down with vomit from his master. Penny was the exception and she was thankful for that, but she did wish that she could delete that memory from her databanks.

Jack grumbled at the vomit and instantly had it vanished. Zwei went over and licked his cheek in thanks. "Good boy." He was glad someone thanked him.

**Cutting back to the Joker, he had just released Bart when the explosion entered the room. The flames sweeping through the area and all the cops dropped to the floor, unconscious. He however, remained standing. Outside, the explosion rips through the building and destroys many of the windows.**

**Back inside, we see Joker standing with the remains of documents scattered in the wind. He looks around at the destruction he caused.**

**Then he looks directly at the screen, and smirks tauntingly at the audience.**

"Ok, Seriously?!" Yang shouts, having recovered a bit to glare at the smug clown, getting close to punching the screen.

The others were horrified over the amount of destruction that bomb had on the building. Any more force, and it would've been in danger of collapsing.

**In the streets, Oz orders his driver to mount the curve so to avoid the traffic. The guy nodded and immediately swerves to drive on the sidewalk, the people there scattering. Meanwhile, outside a building, the Bat-pod comes to a stop, and Batman jumps off the bike and runs to the entrance.**

"Oh great, we still got this thing." Qrow grumbled.

**We cut to Glynda, where she is crying as she says "James, just in case... I want you to know something, ok?" James' voice could be heard choking out, "Don't talk like that, Glynda. They're coming for you, just hang on!" his emotions overwhelming him.**

**Glynda nods as she chokes out, "I know, but I don't want them to..."**

**Outside, Batman brakes the locks and tears the door off its hinges. With Oz, his convoy stops before a large building.**

"Come on, you're almost there." James muttered, not knowing that Glynda was saying the exact words.

**Back to Glynda, she looks at the timer. Ten seconds left. She shakes her head and calls out "I don't want to live without you, and I do have an answer for you. My answer is yes!"**

Glynda smiled a bit, as did James, and they leaned forwards in their seat, taking each other's hand subconsciously while praying for the two to be rescued.

**Batman is seen sprinting down the hall, and stops at a door, before kicking it open. The door gives, and Batman looks inside...**

The heroes hold their breaths.

**To see James' prone form.**

The heroes stare in dread. Wasn't Glynda supposed to be there?!

The woman started to tear up, knowing that her other will soon perish. James fumed, realizing the same thing and was powerless to do anything to stop it.

**The man looks up in horror, shouting "NO! Not me! Why did you come for me?!" Batman stares at James in horror. The Joker lied. The counter hits 5 seconds.**

James clenched his fists after letting go of Glynda's hand.

**Outside a building, Oz arrive, and the cops immediately got out and ran to the building.**

"Guys look!" Ruby pointed to the screen, "Ozpin made it, he can still save her!" The others felt hope rise inside them.

**Batman goes to James, releases him from his binds and hauls him away, with the man fighting desperately to stay. "GLYNDA! GLYNDA!" He shouts as he struggles.**

**Cutting to Glynda, she puts on a brave face, accepting her fate. "James? James, it's okay..." she said as she heard James calling to her. Outside, Oz runs towards the entrance.**

**The counter ran out.**

"No" Several students whispered.

**Glynda, in a calm voice, says "I love-" an explosion consumes her.**

**Outside, the blast hurls Oz backwards onto the hood of his car, and the entire warehouse is engulfed in an enormous explosion. He gets up and sees the warehouse in an inferno, but he heads for it anyway. Five of his men and Blake had to restrain him as the screen closes in on his tearful face, showing the devastation he felt at failing to save James.**

Many of the adults felt the same, seeing a dear friend die before finishing her confession struck cord in them.

Tai, Ruby, and Yang were reimagining the day that Summer was taken from them.

The students cried at the heartbreaking scene, some much more than others. 'She didn't even get to finish.'

The teachers were trying to console Glynda, who was unresponsive over seeing her death, while James was close to shouting in rage. 'When I get my hands on that demented freak…'

Salem even felt a bit sad, remembering the times she said that sentence, before squishing the feeling down.

**We see Batman wrap his cape around James, the man still shouting her name, and hurls them both through the door. "GLYNDA! NO!" The building behind them erupts in an explosion like the one that killed Glynda.**

**The explosion hits them, and the fireball ignites the fuel soaking James' left side. He starts burning as the two falls to the ground from the shockwave, screaming in pain.**

Her friends managed to get Glynda out of her state, only for her to look on in horror as she saw her friend in so much pain. "No." she whispered.

**All sound coming from the screen turns silent as Batman immediately tries to put out the fire, rolling the screaming man on the wet pavement. The screen focuses on James's form, showing how the fire was eating away at half his face before Batman's cape covers the screen.**

All the heroes couldn't believe what happened in the past few seconds. They were numb.

**Back in the now burning remains of the MCU, the Joker was skulking about towards the holding cells when he heard people coughing. He steps inside, noticing the small crater from where several burnt corpses lay, and saw that his crew were in one of the cells, a bit ashy, but alright.**

Several dry heaved at the state of the bodies, wanting to throw up but had nothing left.

**He was walking past them and to another section when they noticed him. "BOSS!" Sun yelled as Miltia and Vernal were gazing at him with joy. He smirked at them as he continued on. The Joker was on a mission after all.**

"hey, where's he going?" Vernal asked. "Isn't he going to rescue me?" she blushed when she let slip that last word. Luckily, as she glanced around, no one heard it. Though that red head did noticeably shiver for some reason. Odd.

**He walks to the bars of a different cell and grins. He noticed one of the cops lying next to him on the ground, dead, but with a pair of keys attached to his belt. He takes them and jingles them in front of the cell door.**

**"Hello there." he says as he starts to unlock the cage. In his cell, terrified and clutching the bars farthest away from the door, was Watts.**

The man in question paled.

The other villains looked on in confusion. Then Salem widened her eyes, "Of course." She said, earning their attention. "My Goddess?" Tyrian asked. She rose a hand in dismissal, saying that someone else will most likely explain.

**In front of one of the burning buildings, James is being wheeled into an ambulance, bandages covering most his face, his one visible eye staring blankly as firefighters are working hard to contain the flames.**

**In the other, another crew of firefighters are putting out the flames as Oz watches the fire, debris blowing across the asphalt. He notices something on the ground. He picks up two pieces of debris, his eyes widen. What he's holding are singed joker cards with a photo of Watts photoshopped in place of the joker's face.**

**Just then, Blake approaches him. "Just got off the line. James' alive, Oz... Just." She pauses and sighs, "But back at the MCU… the Joker's gone."**

**Ozpin stops staring at the cards, and looks off to the side, "With Watts?" Blake nods. "The Joker planned to be caught." He looks at Blake as his teeth grind together, they played right into his hands. "He wanted me to lock him up in MCU."**

The heroes widen their eyes, "that was his plan all along?" Oz asked in disbelief, "to get that man set free?" The others couldn't believe it. The amount of planning he would have to make was astounding.

The students were shocked at his planning. Though Ren and Nora nodded in acceptance, with Pyrrha doing so a few moments later.

"Yep, that's our fearless leader." Nora said, though still horrified about what she saw. This earned her the attention of everyone in the room.

"What are you talking about?" Winter asked.

Ren answered for his partner. "Well, Jaune was always known for his thinking ahead." Pyrrha continued where he left off, "He would always think up strategies that would have him be 5 steps ahead of the competition." Everyone was shocked by this, though Ozpin did sigh. "I almost forgot."

"Forgot what Oz?" Qrow asked. Ozpin rubbed his temple, wondering how to explain this. "You see, everyone. Mr. Arc is very intelligent. He is top of all the leadership classes, his strategies managed to outpace many of our simulations…" Here he was reluctant to admit. "…and he's one of the few who could regularly beat me in chess."

Most of the teachers gasped at the last bit of information. They were stunned by his accomplishments sure, but Oz was infuriatingly good at the game. None of them ever beat him, they never heard of anyone beating him. So, for a young boy to do the impossible…

"Amazing." Raven whispered in slight awe. 'Is that how he managed to plan this so perfectly?' Her eyes narrowed in determination. 'This boy could be extremely beneficial to the tribe.' Vernal meanwhile crossed her arms, "I'm much better than that gramps." She grumbled in slight jealousy.

The students gulped. "Ok guys," Ruby stated, "all in favor of keeping Jaune in the light say AYE!" "AYE!" Everyone declared. Even the adults did so, realizing just how dangerous Jaune could pose if he ever fell into the dark.

Cinder smirked, already thinking of a few ideas. 'Although,' she thinks, looking to Neo and Emerald, 'I think some help could go a long way~.'

**In the streets of Vale, two squad cars are blazing down the street erratically in the dawn light. The sounds are again muted, only the sirens could be heard. In the first car, Vernal was driving with Miltia in the passenger seat. Both looking rather upset for just surviving an explosion so close to them and now successfully escaped with their prize.**

**Behind Vernal, the Joker sticks his head out the window like a dog, feeling the wind, before taking out his scroll and making a call, no sound escapes as he starts taking to the person on the other line, but the ladies did seem to look upset.**

"Aww, what's wrong? Trouble in paradise?" Mercury taunted, earning a quick punch in the face by Vernal with the help of Raven's portals.

**We cut to the penthouse's kitchen, where Klein is sitting at a table, opening the letter from Glynda and starts to read its content. Her voice could be heard off camera, "**_**Dear Whitley, I need to explain.**_**.."**

**We cut to a smoldering building. Water. Smoldering blackness. The fire crews are extinguishing the last flames of the devastated building, soot and blackened wood are all that remain.**

The heroes look on in sadness, hoping that Jaune would not fall like this one did.

**A fireman nudges his colleague, pointing to something in the middle of the devastation... "**_**I need to be honest and clear. I'm going to marry James Ironwood**_**..." Batman is there, standing like a statue amidst the charred ruins.**

**Inside a hospital's intensive care unit, James is lowered gently onto a table, his eye now shut in exhaustion as surgeons surround him. "**_**I love him, I want to spend the rest of my life with him..."**_** Cutting back to Klein as he looks on sadly, "**_**When I told you that if Vale no longer needed Batman we could be together. I meant it..." **_**Switching over to Batman, he crouches down and picks something up from the wreckage. It was James' lucky coin. One side blackened and scarred, he turns it over and sees the other side pristine.**

James felt conflicted, on the one hand, he got Glynda to say "yes", on the other, she is forever lost to him. He settled for anger, glaring at nothing and hoping that his other would avenge her.

**He gazes at it in remorse, silently praying for forgiveness as he closes his fist over the coin. Over at the remains of the MCU, Ozpin surveys the wreckage, all the bodies. He drops to his knees in anguish.**

Oz was beside himself in grief, thinking of all the ones he sent out to die on his orders. His friends did their best to cheer him up but it wasn't enough. It's never enough.

The villains were having a field day with this though. Hazel and Salem were especially satisfied seeing Ozpin look so defeated.

**Cutting back to Klein as he places a hand over his trembling lips, "**_**But now I'm sure the day won't come when you no longer need Batman. I hope it does, and if it does I will be there**_**..."**

**We cut to a hospital room where James is resting on the bed, heavily bandaged, and hooked up to various machines. Batman is standing at the foot of his bed, watching. "...**_**but as your friend. I'm sorry to let you down..."**_** He then reaches over to the small table next to him and places his coin on it, right-side up. "I'm sorry, James." He whispers regretfully, tears flowing down his cowl.**

"Brother..." Weiss and Winter looked pained seeing their brother look so broken. Then their fists clenched, the Joker will pay for this.

**Back to Klein, he stops and folds the letter back in its envelope. **_**"...If you lose your faith in me, please keep your faith in people. Love, now and always, Glynda**_**." With tears now in his eyes, he places it on the breakfast tray next to him.**

**He then picks up the tray and starts to move through the silent space, stepping past the cowl and gauntlets lying on the cold marble floor. He approaches Whitley, who is half-undressed, slumping in a chair watching Vale. "I prepared a little breakfast, sir." Nothing. Klein sets down the tray, the envelope propped against the silver teapot. He sighs, "Very well." and begins to leave him in peace.**

**"Klein?" Whitley whispered. Klein stops and goes back to his side, "Yes, Master Whitley?" Whitley turns, a desperate look in his eye as he struggles not letting anymore tears fall. "Did I bring this on us? On her?" He stares back to the city when it became clear that he lost the struggle, "I thought I would inspire good, not madness."**

The sisters teared up as they heard him sound so lost. The students weren't any better, Ruby felt especially crushed that the hero wasn't winning like in the fairytales she grew up with. But she persevered, believing that the light at the end of the tunnel was near.

**Klein reaches forward and places a hand on his shoulder, "You have inspired good."**

Ruby nodded, hoping that the nice butler would help him feel better.

**Whitley looks back. "But you spat in the face of Vale's criminals. Didn't you think there might be casualties? Things are always going to get worse before they got better."**

**Whitley is starting to break down, "But Glynda, Klein..." Klein went to hug him, "Glynda believed in what you stood for. What we stand for." Whitley looks up at Klein.**

**Klein then breaks the hug and goes over to pick up the cowl. "Vale needs you." he said, looking at the cowl. Whitley shook his head and stares out the window again, "Vale needs its true hero. And I let that murderous psychopath blow him half to hell."**

The heroes flinched at the reminder.

**"Which is why for now, they'll have to make do with you." Klein says, handing him the cowl. Whitley looks at him as he takes the cowl and stares at it in sadness. "She was going to wait for me. James doesn't know. He can never know..."**

**Klein gulps and glances at the envelope. He immediately takes it off the tray. Whitley saw what he was doing and asked "What's that?" Klein smiles reassuringly at him and answered "It can wait." He then puts the envelope in his pocket. Whitley stares intently at the mask, "That bandit, in the forest of Wind Path... Did you ever catch him?" Klein nods. "How?" He answers uneasily, "We burned the forest down."**

The Schnee sisters shivered at Klein's tone.

**(Was going to end it here, but as stated before, here you go!)**

**Meanwhile, in downtown Vale, a national guard bullhead roars over Vale General Hospital. Inside one of its room, James continues to lay, bandaged and sedated. He suddenly wakes up, coming up for air. He looks around his surroundings, remembering about the explosion and desperately hoping to find any sign that his love was ok.**

Glynda shuttered, knowing that he will not like what he'll hear about her other's fate.

**He soon spots something shiny on the table, his coin. He fumbles for it, and takes it in his hand, marveling at its shiny face. Remembering. It cuts to Glynda catching the coin, back when he got arrested and was heading inside one of the SWAT vans. James smiles at the memory, thinking that she was the one who left it for him.**

The shutter became worse, and she wasn't the only one now to feel it.

**He turns the coin over. The other side is blackened and scarred. He stares at the scarred face, his eye growing wide with despair. Before he starts to scream, and in an uncontrolled outburst of anger rips his bandages off as he starts to move his limbs about in his rage.**

James sighed, then hesitantly said "I would do the same in his condition." Oz just nodded in agreement, much to Salem's slight shock. If she wasn't so evil, then any threat against her would have been met with the fury of the Emerald Wizard.

**In the penthouse, an hour later, Klein comes up to Whitley and points him to the TV. "You need to see this." On screen is Lisa, in her studio, as she addresses the camera. **_**"...he's a credible source, a lawyer for a prestigious consultancy. He says he's waited as long as he can for the Batman to do the right thing...**_**" The shot cuts to Scarlet, who nods at the camera. "**_**Now he's taking matters into his own hands. We'll be live at five with the true identity of the Batman, stay with us**_**..."**

*Sigh*"Oh great, just more shit to hit the fan." Yang grumbled as she crossed her arms, earning a few nods from her friends.

**Cutting back to the hospital room, Ozpin enters. He sees James staring off to one side, looking normal. He lowers his head and closed his eyes in remorse before opening them again and heading towards the bedridden man. "I'm sorry about Glynda." James says nothing.**

"I'm sorry, James. I wish-" James raised his hand and smiled at his friend. "You don't have to apologize. It was the Joker who lied to everyone. He somehow knew how to bait us all." Oz sighed in relief, then the two resumed watching the screen.

**"The Doctors, say you're in agonizing pain but you won't accept any medication. That you're refusing skin grafts-" James interrupts in a calm voice, "Do you remember, the name you all had for me, when I was at Internal Affairs?" he asks, "What was it, Oz?"**

**Oz glances to the side as he shakes his head, "James, I don't..."**

**"Say it." But Oz still refuses to say. "SAY IT!" James' angry shout made Oz and the audience flinch/jump. He looks away, ashamed. In a small voice he says "Two-face. James two-face." James turns to face Oz, but the view focuses on Oz as he looks on, horrified at the extent of his injuries.**

Penny shivered, "Friend Ruby, I do not wish to see what has become of the General." Ruby went over to hug her distressed friend.

**"And why should I hide, who I am?" Oz, guilty over what happened, looks down as he says "I... I know you tried to warn me. I'm sorry." The view focuses back to the two of them as James looks off to the side again. "We know Adam picked you up, was he working for them?"**

Blake looked horrified. 'If he picked him up, then that means...' She couldn't bear to finish that thought, and she started to cry in guilt. Yang didn't know where this came from, but that didn't stop her from hugging her partner and rubbing her back in soothing motions

**James says nothing, "Do you know who picked up Glynda?" Again, nothing. "James, I need to know which of my men I can trust." James glances at Oz with his eye, cold. "Why would you listen to me now?" Oz looks at him, "I'm sorry, James." James looks to Oz, and this time the view focuses on him, and what the audience saw will haunt them for a good long while.**

**The left side of James' face is destroyed. What skin is left is blackened and shriveled, molars are visible, and the eye is but a ball and socket now.**

The thieves shivered in disgust, hoping that they wouldn't suffer a similar fate.

The heroes all wretched at seeing the extent of the damage. "Oh Monty, no wonder Oz looked so scared." Qrow said, wishing that he had a stronger brew to destroy that mental picture.

**"No." he growls at him as he glares with his good eye, "No you're not. Not yet." Oz takes one last look at James, then leaves.**

That remark sent a cold feeling down everyone's neck.

**In the corridor, Ozpin steps out. There he spots someone to the side. He turns around and sees Jacques with a walking cane.**

The sight of that man caused many to openly snarl at him. Penny glared hard, her eyes shining bright; Velvet wanted to double kick him in the nards; and Ruby wanted to go a few rounds with her baby. And that was with the most gentle of the group. The others nearly wanted to kill the prick. Weiss and Winter just scowled at him. Everyone blamed him for releasing this madness upon the city.

**Oz stares hard at him, and the man shifts to the side awkwardly. He looks regretful. "This craziness. It's too much." He shakes his head, hating himself for allow it to go so far.**

*Snort*"I cannot believe that he regrets this." Weiss said. "He never regrets anything." she silently added.

"Ooh, I want to break his everything so badly, Renny." Nora said, with Pyrrha agreeing to hold him down.

**Oz snorts as he walks past him, "You should have thought of that before you let the clown out of the box." Jacques stares ahead as Oz goes past him. "You want him?" He stops, as did the heroes in the audience, and turns his head back. "I can tell you where he'll be this afternoon."**

**In the docks, near an abandoned shipping container, a convoy of vehicles arriving. It shows Roman getting out of an SUV, joined by a few guards, another SUV with more men and his dogs. Lastly a Harley-model motorcycle ridden by Neo and a new girl that Roman recently hired named Emerald Sustrai colored pink and brown with white highlights, like Neo's hair.**

Neo silently whistled at the bike, daydreaming that the Joker gave it to her as a gift. Emerald raised an eyebrow though, not all that thrilled at working for that self-centered ass of a thief. Though she did feel a bit better knowing that she was only recently hired.

**They look at the rusted hulk, before Roman looks back and raises an eyebrow at his diminutive subordinate. "Hey Neo, what's with the new look?"**

**The young woman in question looks at her outfit. It consists of a brown jacket that ends just below her shoulders and above her chest and is pink on the inside, two brown belt shoulder straps, and a white vest with matching gloves, belt, pants and heeled shoes. Her hair is also more noticeably thicker than before with shorter bangs (2).**

"Nice digs, Neo." Roman praised, with the multiheaded girl flicking her hair and smirking in pride.

Coco couldn't help but approve of the new clothes. Although she did feel as if something was missing with that outfit for some reason.

**She looks back and shrugs. Roman then looks to what she's holding, "And the umbrella?" She glares at him, earning wide eyes from the thieving duo, and opens it up, showing an elaborately decorated lace fabric with multiple colors. Mostly pink and white in the middle and red and brown at the edges. It has a curved handle, with the other end having a small hole in the middle (3). "It's a parasol, you idiot." She says.**

Roman's and Neo's jaws dropped. They never thought that they would hear her speak, and in such a beautiful voice to boot. Her eyes turned into stars, and she turned to Jack. Silently praying to him that she could speak as well.

The god shrugged and snapped his fingers. "Ok, you're good."

Neo turned to her friend and said hesitantly "R-Roman?" She clasped her mouth shut with her hands, before giggling in joy. Roman smiled down at her, thinking that she deserved it.

**Roman holds his hands in surrender, not willing to incur her wrath, and motions everyone to head up the gangplank. Inside the decrepit ship, they walk into a huge hold. In the middle, a MOUNTAIN of lien, stacked neatly and at least thirty feet high. Surrounding it are Sun, the twins, Sage which indicates that he managed to survive his trip to the tunnel's ceiling a few days ago, Vernal, and other masked clowns.**

**Standing on top is the Joker, and at his feet, bound and gagged, is Watts.**

All the thieves drooled at the mountain of cash. "Wow." Emerald said in awe, "there's got to be tens of millions lien there!" Mercury looked on, jealous that he wasn't the one who was paid that amount. Neo had hearts in her eyes, knowing that her man got so much money so fast. Roman was a bit envious about the great heist, especially since part of that stash was his, but he had to give credit. The clown was good.

Raven and Vernal were deeply impressed by the cash they're seeing. "Just think of all the power we'd get with that much, Raven." Vernal said with lien symbols for eyes. The Bandit Queen nodded, thinking of the possibilities.

The heroes were shocked. They didn't think that the gangs had such wealth. 'And this is only half!' That thought caused many to pale.

Salem was uninterested. Actually, if she was being honest, she felt disappointed. All this planning, all that effort, all of it for a few measly lien cards. 'I suppose, deep down, he's still bound by greed.' She sighed as she thought that. Although she did smirk when she saw that traitor be bound as he was. That brought her out of her funk.

The man himself was eye twitching at how his other is being treated. 'Why that little punk! If he ever came here, he would learn to fear me!' His anger was amplified by Cinder's sadistic laughter directed at him.

**Roman laughs. "Not as crazy as you look, heh!" The Joker grins "I told you, I'm a man of my word." and jumps from the top, sliding down the money pile like it was a slide. He reaches the end and spreads his arms out like he was expecting an applause.**

Which he got from Neo, Tyrian, and secretly Nora. 'I want to slide down a mountain of money.' she thought as she pouted.

**He looks around, and raised an eyebrow, "Where's the prick?" Roman shrugs and pulls out a cigar, lighting it as he did so. "Hey, more for us, man."**

**We cut briefly to the garage of the MCU, one of the few places that wasn't damaged in the explosion. There, Oz and his men are gearing up to take down the Joker. Once he finishes, he looks to his men and orders "All tactical units will converge on the location in 20 minutes. I want auxiliary units to cover all possible getaway routes."**

The heroes smiled, the Joker was going down. James was especially going to relish this moment. 'This is for you, Glynda.'

**Cutting back to Joker, we see him continuously throwing wads of lien at Watts' face, most connecting.**

Cinder's laughter increased in volume.

**Roman smirks at the acts of this man-child. "So. What're you gonna do with all your money, Mr. Joker?" The Joker looks back from his fun and looks to Sage while nonchalantly taking out a pistol.**

**He then looks at Roman with a smile, "You see, I'm a guy of simple tastes." he gestures his hands forward, "I enjoy things like... dynamite, and gunpowder..." Roman nods, showing that he was following along.**

**"And, Gasoline!" Sage steps forward at the signal and, lifting a container of fuel, turn the container over and starts splashing its contents all over the money.**

**Roman, furious, steps forwards, but the Joker turns and raises his gun to his face. "Ah, ah, ah." Most of Roman's bodyguards raise their weapons, and the Joker's crew does the same.**

**The Joker doesn't notice, or just doesn't care, and looks to the progress that Sage is doing. Then he goes to stand in front of Roman, "And you know the thing that they have in common?" he leans close to his face, "They're cheap."**

The thieves looked on in horror. "What's he doing!?" Emerald shouted. "NO! All that money!" mercury yelled in despair. Roman and Neo looked desperate, "Quick! Someone stop them!" she begged.

Salem blinked in surprise. 'Huh, I suppose I judge you too poorly Mr. Arc.'

**Back to the studio, Scarlet is sitting down with a confident air while Lisa in front of him, taking calls. One caller is heard, saying "**_**I wanna how much they're gonna pay you to say who Batman really is**_**." Scarlet shakes his head and says "That's simply not why I'm doing this."**

**In the MCU, Ozpin is heard issuing more orders when Bart, with a bandage over his neck from when he had a shard of glass pressed against it, turns up the TV. His eyes widen and he turns back to the group, "Hey, Oz, you better take a look at this!"**

**Lisa's voice was heard, "**_**let's take the next caller**_**." A second caller's offscreen voice says "**_**James Ironwood didn't want us to give in to this maniac. You think you know better than him**_**?" We break to the penthouse, where Whitley and Klein are staring intently at the screen. Lisa looks to Scarlet, "**_**Guy's got a point, James didn't want Batman to give himself up, is this really the right thing to do?"**_

**The man shakes his head sadly, "**_**If we could talk to James right now, he might feel differently Lisa**_**." Lisa turns to the camera, **_**"And we all wish him a speedy recovery. Because God knows, we need him now."**_

**Cutting back to Joker, Roman was staring at him in disbelief, "You said you were a man of your word." he says over the cigar in his mouth. The Joker nods at the words, "Oh, I am."**

The man was openly crying now, "Please, don't!" The heroes could only stare in disbelief, while the bandits were gaping in shock.

**He reaches up and plucks the cigar from the Roman's lips. He then turns towards the pile as he blows on the embers to keep them hot. He turns his head to look at Roman, "I'm only burning my half." The Joker then tosses the cigar at the pile and the whole thing bursts into flames.**

**Roman watches the money catch fire, powerless to do anything to save it.**

"NOO! YOU MONSTER!" Roman wailed, Mercury reaching over to hug him in mutual support. Neo, although heartbroken about the money literally going up in flames, couldn't help but think of how pretty it is. 'Wait,' she thought, 'wasn't there someone on top of it?'

Salem grinned, a feeling of pride swelling inside her for some reason. Same could be said for Ozpin.

**The Joker sees this and shakes his head in disappointment. "All you care about is money. This city deserves a better class of criminal, and I'm going to give it to them." He jabs his gun to Roman's chest then points behind him with it. "Tell your men they work for me now." He points to himself with the gun, "This is my city."**

"Another powerplay." Raven said in realization. That got many to tense, especially the master thief. He was praying that if he was to die, that it wouldn't be through that horrible gas.

"Oh, that's not good." Yang said in despair.

**Roman snarls at him, "They won't work for a freak." Joker imitates Roman and whispers "freak" before taking out a switchblade and tossing it behind the man. "Why don't we cut you up and feed you to your dogs? Hm?" Emerald and Neo suddenly rushes forward and grabs each of Roman's arms. ****Pulling him away, Neo is shown holding the knife that Joker threw against his neck.**

*Gasp*"Neo!" Roman looked betrayed as he stared at her. The woman in question was confused, wondering why/how she was enticed with joining him. Then the thought of the Joker gas appeared in her head, and she turned to Roman. "Sorry, Roman." She said regretfully, "I don't have a death wish, nor do I want a 'smile' on my face." The man shivered at the reminder and nodded in acceptance (4).

Emerald meanwhile was just quite happy that she got to kill that prick.

**"And then we'll see how loyal a hungry dog is." The bogs start barking as Roman was pulled closer to them. In the background, it shows Roman's bodyguards dropping their weapons in surrender while Sun grabs the guns and Sage hands them clown masks.**

**As the dogs start ripping Roman to shreds, Joker reaches into his pocket, "It's not about money..." He pulls out his scroll "...It's about sending a message." The Joker turns to watch the towering flames, the muffled screams of Watts being vaguely heard. Joker starts dialing up a number, "Everything Burns."**

The man felt queasy, but at least it was better than the gas.

Cinder was drooling at the image, her loins burning for him. 'That's right, my King. Everything Burns!' She blushed harder when she heard Watts' screams. The man himself paled at the noise.

The heroes succeeded in keeping their food down this time. Though Zwei wasn't taking any chances and stayed with Jack.

Raven narrowed her eyes. That line of thinking is dangerous, for anyone. No one is safe from this monster, and with him burning that money, he proved that he couldn't be bought. Her eyes widen. "It was never about the money." She said, earning the attention of the audience, "It was all a ploy to gain almost complete control of the gangs." Everyone's eyes widen. Oz muttered, "She's right, with Roman gone, all that was left is Jacques."

Weiss paled, "He was supposed to be there." Everyone looked at her as she started to shiver. "He was supposed to be there, the Joker expected him to be there." She turned to her friends and allies, their faces as pale as hers. "He planned to kill them both in one fell swoop."

Cinder was panting, her eyes screaming with lust. 'Such genius!' She thought, 'With him by my side, all will bow before me!'

Salem grinned, her pride growing deeper. "Such an impressive mind you have, young man."

**Before he pressed the dial key though, he sees his crew approach him, with the addition of Emerald and Neo. He grins at the two of them. Turning to the former, grinning all the while, "You got the others?" Emerald smiles lovingly at him, smiling as she nods, "Yes."**

"W-What did he mean by that, Jack?" Ruby asked.

Jack turned to her, and said, "He's talking about the remains of Roman's gang." She gulped, knowing what that meant.

"Shit, he's got an army." Qrow said, ordering a tall glass of some of the heavy stuff and immediately chugged it down. When he stopped for some air, Tai took the glass from him and chugged the rest, earning a glare form the drunk.

Emerald was blushing, wondering what her other sees in him. 'Although,' she thought. 'Take away the crazy, and makeup, and he would be the perfect crime partner.' She blushed harder, 'Maybe our version could be as good as that.'

**He nodded and turns to the latter, "And you? You like the present I gave you?" Neo grinned and held onto her parasol in content. Rubbing her cheek against it, she says "I love it, it's so soft and warm~." Walking closer to the man, she places a hand to his chest as she leans closer, much to the ladies' glares, and smiling sensually.**

Neo looked at Jack, "Alright, so I know why I would want to join him, no Gas for me." Many of the thieves, and most of the students nodded in agreement. "But what's the reason for my other?"

Jack looked at her, then he began to explain. "Well, remember what Joker said about Roman? 'All you care about is money.' He wasn't just making a crack at him, that man only truly cared about making money, nothing else." Neo widened her eyes, then started to glare. "And the gift?" Jack continued, pointing at the parasol. "That was the first gift you received. Along with the outfit your other is wearing."

Raven nodded, figuring it out. "So he showed her attention, the kind she desperately wanted and she held tightly to it." Jack nodded.

"But wait," Vernal asked, glaring at the walking ice-cream cone. "When did he ever have the time to contact her? We never saw that." Many nodded, but Jack just shook his head in the negative.

"Look at your counterpart. What do you see?" Vernal looked, but Qrow was the one to answer, "Anger, jealousy." Jack nodded, "Exactly, and when have you ever seen that look before? And trust me, you have."

They struggled to think, then Nora snapped her fingers, "The breakout!" She shouted. "She and that other girl looked really steamed." Jack applauded her, "Very good, he was on the scroll talking to her. We just never heard the conversation. In fact, that whole silence thing that the screen had going on was a clue to who he was contacting." Many were confused. Neo sighed and said, "I was a mute, you dumb-dumbs."

"That's right." Jack said, "the silence was a reference to her old status. And now," he paused while looking at the screen, "She's trying to claim what's hers."

Neo blushed, but smiled at the turnout. "That's right girl, go get our man!"

Pyrrha, Ruby, Emerald, Vernal, and Velvet glared harshly at the midget. "He's not your man!"

Raven rose an eyebrow at her subordinate's outburst; Tai, Yang, and Qrow narrowed their eyes in suspicion; and Coco lowered her sunglasses in surprise. Nora just grinned at her teammate's outburst.

Tyrian gazed seriously at Neo, then nodded. "I approve." The woman looked confusedly at him, but he just looked back at the screen.

**She hugs him and tiptoes up to peck his lips. She then tilts her head forward to whisper in his ear, "Come on, Mistah J, don't you wanna rev up your 'Harley'? Vroom, vroom~."**

**Joker shivered, a pleasant chill running down his spine. His reaction didn't go unnoticed though, as the guys started to back away slowly and the women were glaring jealously at the ice-cream colored midget for selfishly keeping his attention all to herself.**

Those who liked Jaune could only grumble as they crossed their arms.

**Sun cleared his throat nervously, "Uh, boss?" Joker looked to his number one guy with a raised eyebrow as Neo glared daggers at him. "T-The call?" He points to the scroll.**

**Joker's eyes widen and he grins. "Ah, of course. Thank you Sun." He nods, "anytime, Boss." He hits send.**

**We cut back to the MCU, where over the TV Lisa asks "**_**So, who is this**_**?" The Joker's voice is then heard, "**_**I had a vision. Of a world without Batman**_**." It cuts to a focused shot of Oz as he watches closely at the TV. "**_**The mob ground out a little profit and the police tried to shut them down, one block at a time**_**."**

**Cutting to the penthouse, Whitley and Klein are doing the same. "**_**And it was so... boring. I've had a change of heart**_**." A closeup of Whitley's glaring face. "**_**I don't want Mr. David spoiling everything, but why should I have all the fun?**_**" It cuts to inside the studio as Scarlet looks around, twitching. Sweating as the Joker's voice is heard over the speakers. "**_**Let's give someone else a chance. If Scarlet David isn't dead in sixty minutes, then I blow up a hospital**_**." His eyes widen at that last part.**

"WHAT?!" Many of the heroes yelled out in anger. "Why would he do such a thing?" Velvet asked, hoping that what she heard was just a sick joke.

"Incentive." Raven said, looking at the bunny Faunus. "He wants that boy dead, and threatening to blow up a hospital would have anyone and everyone gunning for him." She looked to Blake, "Especially those who have family there." the Cat Faunus stiffened, remembering that her mother was in a hospital. Yang moved to comfort her as she glared at her mother. Raven simply rolled her eyes and went back to watching.

**"**_**Of course, you could always just kill yourself, Mr. David. But that would be the noble thing to do, and let's face it: you're a lawyer.**_**" The line rings off and Lisa looks on, speechless.**

That caused a few snorts of laughter, thinking back to all the lawyers they had to deal with.

**Oz turns to the cops. "I want you to call in every officer. Tell them to head to their nearest hospital and start evac and search. Call the transit authority, school board, prisons. Get every available transport bullhead down to a hospital. The priority, is Vale General! Wheel everybody out of that place right now!" The cops rush off to do their jobs.**

**He then points to three cops and orders them to follow him. One of the cops asks "Where are we going, sir?" Oz point to the TV, where on screen Scarlet is like a deer in the headlights. "To get David."**

**Back in the penthouse, Whitley moves to the elevator. "I need you plugged in, checking Ozpin's men and their families." Whitley requests Klein. He looks determinedly at his back as he asks "Looking for?" Whitley steps inside the elevator and turns around to press the floor button, "Hospital admissions." Klein nods, "Will you be taking the Bat-pod, sir?"**

**Whitley looks at him with a smirk, "In the middle of the day? Not very subtle, Klein."**

**Klein nods and says "The Lamborghini then." He watches his charge go and sighs while muttering to himself, "Much more subtle."**

**Outside, in the streets, a rather cool-looking car is seen tearing through downtown.**

Yang pouted, why does that guy get all the cool stuff?

**The scene changes to inside a large hospital, where many people are trying to evacuate. Patients and staff are running around, with cops and traffic wardens trying to manage the evacuation. Mothers are holding onto their children and newborns; doctors and nurses are wheeling out patients and paraplegics as fast as they could.**

**One of the nurses, an adult Ruby Rose, notices the two cops stationed outside Ironwood's room looking around, unsure of what they should do.**

"Hey guys look, I'm here now." Ruby pointed out. Then she paled, "Oh sweet cookies, I'm here now."

Tai and Qrow got up to hug the distraught girl, since Yang was still busy with Blake. Weiss would've helped, but she noticed something, particularly at the chest area. 'Are you kidding me?!' She thought, seeing that her leader's chest rivals that of Professor Goodwitch. 'It's not fair! Is it the milk?'

She hated that a girl younger than her had a larger chest than her. "...I have to drink more milk." She muttered to herself.

**Ruby calls over to them, "Guys, are you going to help or what?!" One of the cops, Lie Ren, offers to go with her while ordering his partner, Nora Valkyrie, to stay at her post.**

"Hey Renny look, we're cops!" Nora jumped in joy. "Yes, I can see that Nora." Was his monotone reply.

**We cut to the television studio, where Ozpin and his men are escorting Scarlet out of the elevator, with Lisa and her camera crew close behind. As they approach the glass doors, Oz looks out to see an angry crowd outside the glass doors.**

**Lisa also sees this and turns to him, "Commissioner?! Do you really think someone would try to kill-" before she could finish, Ozpin, spotting an old man raising a pistol, throws Scarlet to the ground as shots shattered the laminated glass of the lobby. The crowd disperses in all directions as Oz tells his men "Get the cars around back!" He then hauls his charge to the nearby stairwell.**

"What did I say?" Raven asked smugly, crossing her arms across her chest.

**It cuts to Whitley's Lamborghini as he slows past the chaos outside the station. He then says, "I saw O'Brien and Richards..." Cut to the Bat-Bunker, Klein is typing commands at the computer station. He shakes his head and says, "Nothing on them. No immediate family members admitted to a Vale hospital..."**

**Cutting back to the station's stairwell, Ozpin is pulling the shaken Scarlet down the stairs. Scarlet says "They're trying to kill me." The tone of his voice giving proof as to how shocked he was. The two soon exits into a parking lot, and head to a nearby police van.**

**Inside the van, Oz throws him in the back. Smiling, Oz says "Well who knows? Maybe Batman will save you." The van starts to peel out and heads towards the streets.**

Winter muttered to herself that it was true, but asked if it was worth it, though she did raise an eyebrow at her sister's recently odd behavior.

**Outside the hospital, cops are loading patients onto large airships. A TV bullhead suddenly lands, and Lisa and her camera crew jump out.**

**Ren is there, looking into one of the transports. He inspects how full it was and turns to the cop loading it. "Okay, don't put anyone else on." He then gets on his scroll, "Nora, I got space, bring him out." But she doesn't answer, "Nora?" Ren, feeling something was wrong, begins to head back towards the hospital, against the flow of the scared crowd.**

"Renny, I'm ok, right?" She asked, hoping that her other was ok. Ren said nothing, just held onto her tightly. Pyrrha just watched, feeling that the two were not long for this world.

**Back to Whitley, he is trailing the police van from a distance. "I saw Burns, Zachary, and a third cop that I don't know." Klein is looking into the information on those names, "Burns is, clean... Zachary..."**

**Whitley shakes his head, knowing that he is potentially running out of time, "There's at least one cop in that car that I don't know about, send the information directly to Ozpin."**

**Inside the van, Oz's scroll beeps. He pulls it out and sees a message was sent to him. He opens it up to read the text. In it, it reads: Watch out.**

**Back inside the now empty hospital, Ren is seen walking to James' room, his partner nowhere in sight. He looks around a bit as he opens the door.**

The students tense.

**He opened the door to see the back of Ruby by James' bedside, reading from a chart. James was laying on the nearby bed, bound by many restraint belts and handcuffs.**

They sigh in relief. "Oh good, it's only me." Ruby held a hand over her heart, feeling it beat wildly, while glad that she was safe.

"Wait, but where's my me?" Nora pointed out, and just like that, the tense was back.

**"Ma'am, we need to get the patient out of-" The officer was cut off when she turned around and shot him between the eyes, revealing that she had a mask covering most of the lower half of her face, but the white and black makeup hints just who really killed him.**

"Wait, was I scalped?!" Ruby yelled, placing her hands protectively over her hair. Tai and Qrow felt sick while Yang glared at the imposter. Her friends paled at the image.

James though, glared at the figure. The paint sort of gave it away, and he started to grind his teeth together.

**The noise from the shot wakes James up.**

**We cut back to Whitley's car zipping around traffic to get closer to the van. Inside the van, Ozpin is reading his text: Cops with relatives in Vale Hospitals. Belladonna, Berg.**

Blake paled at the message showing her last name. Yang whispered gently into her ear, "Don't worry Blake, it's just a precaution. Look," she points to the screen, "you're not in the car with them." Blake looked and saw that her partner was right. Her other wasn't in the car. She started to finally calm down.

**Ozpin looks up sharply, and sees the uniformed cop sitting opposite him nervously fingering his shotgun.**

**Oz then smiles at him and tries to get his attention, "Berg, isn't it?" The young cop looks up at his name, sweat clear on his brow. "Commissioner?" he asks, nervous. Oz tries to calm him down, "You okay, son?" Berg nods and smiles, glancing down at his watch.**

**Back to the hospital room, 'Ruby' is pushing a button, forcing James to lay more upright in his bed. 'She' then removed her face mask, revealing it to be the Joker, and causing James to spasm, growl, and grab at him in rage.**

**He grins at James in sympathy for his condition, who only looks on and nearly bursting with rage.**

"I don't need your sympathy, you put me in there you fucking psychopath!" James roared in anger.

**"Um, hiiii." He says, rather slowly and awkwardly.**

**Joker then sat down next to him, James being too tied up at the moment to do much. He then takes off his wig and ruffles up his dyed green hair with blond slivers slightly showing.**

**"You know," The Joker begins, "I don't want there to be any hard feeling between us, James."**

**James just stares in rage.**

**"When you and um..." The Joker pauses, trying to remember the man's girlfriend's name.**

"GLYNDA!" He yelled, causing those closest to him to jump in fright, and Glynda to look worryingly at him.

**James, his rage at the boiling point, utterly explodes, "GLYNDA!"**

**The Joker jumps slightly, and raises his hands in surrender, but he continues, "...Glynda. While you two were being abducted, I was sitting in Ozpin's cage. Now, I-I didn't rig those charges."**

"Lies." He growled. "Don't believe a word he says, me." He ordered his counterpart. Oz now looked a bit nervously at him.

**"Your men, your plan." James seethes through his teeth, his other nodding in agreement.**

**Joker looks at him with a deadpan expression, "Do I really look like a guy with a plan?"**

**James just stares incredulously.**

Along with many others. "YES!" Many of the shouted.

**"You know what I am?" He continues as James lightly tries to break free, "I'm a dog chasing cars. Heh, I wouldn't know what to do with one if I caught it. You know I just, do~ things."**

**James looks around the room as Joker continues, "The mob has plans. The cops have plans. Ozpin's got plans. You see, they're schemers." He moves his fingers in a grabbing motion.**

Oz tensed at the mention of his name, same with Salem's faction.

**"Schemers trying to control their little worlds. I'm not a schemer." As he says this, James stops moving altogether, "I try to show the schemers how... pathetic, their attempts to control things really are."**

**James' breathing becomes ragged and short as Joker grabs his restrained hand.**

**"So, when I say- Ah, come here." Joker says as he puts his hand on James', much to his resistance, as he looks deeply into his eyes. "When I say that you and your girlfriend was nothing personal, you know that I'm telling the truth."**

Hazel glared at this, wondering what his game was. Normally, he didn't have any thoughts on this one way or the other, but somehow, the Joker's speech resonated deeply for him.

**Back to the police van, Ozpin watches Berg and traces the trajectory of the barrel as Berg fiddles with the gun. "I'm gonna need your weapon, son."**

**Berg looks at Gordon. "What?" he asks as he now blatantly points his gun directly at Scarlet's chest, much to the man's wide-eyed horror. "Why?" he continues, "Because my wife's in hospital?" Ozpin nods, "Yeah. That would be why."**

**Back in the room, Joker is slowly undoing the leather bindings on James' right wrist.**

**"It's the schemers that put you where you are." He says as he moves to the left side of the bed, pointing around him. "You were a schemer. You had plans... and look where that got you."**

**James lashed out as his arms were freed and grabbed The Joker.**

"Kill him! Go for the throat!" James shouted in triumph. "James!" Glynda gasped, a bit scared at how he was acting. But James either didn't here her, or was just ignoring her.

**Back at traffic, Whitley roars past a line of cars to settle in a few cars back from the van as a red light occurs. Inside his car, he studies the intersection and spots a pickup jostling for a position on the cross street while a radio transmission is broadcasted that people were beginning to take matters into their own hands.**

**In the hospital, after some struggling, Joker pinned James' arms down, leaning forward until their noses nearly touch.**

**"I just do what I do best." Joker continued, "I took your little plan and I turned it on itself." he explains as he waves James' arms about.**

**James just continued to glare in rage.**

**Joker then leans back a bit as he looks outside the overhead window, "Look what I did to this city with just a couple of gas tanks and some bullets. Hmm?" Joker then paused, "You know? You know what I noticed? Nobody panics when things go 'according to plan', even if the plan is horrifying." He air quotes.**

**He shakes his head, "If I tell the press that tomorrow a gangbanger will get shot, or a truckload of soldiers will be blowing up, nobody panics. Because it's all part of 'the plan'." He then raises a finger, "But when I say that one, little old mayor will die... well then everybody loses their shit!" He shouts as he raises his hands in mock horror.**

**He leans back and reaches inside his pocket, pulling out a pistol, the same one that the James off screen uses. "Introduce a little anarchy," he says as he leans forward again, then places it in James' hands, "upset the established order" he cocks the gun back, "and everything becomes chaos." then he forces him to point the barrel directly to his forehead.**

All of Jaune's friends were staring in horror. They didnt want to see his brains to color the walls a discusting red!

James even paused in his crys for blood, wondering what the Joker's angle here is.

**"I'm an agent of chaos." He smiles in pride at his admission, "Oh, and you know the thing about chaos, James?" he asks as he points a finger at him.**

**He looks on with an intrigued expression at his speech, while his eyes repeatedly glance between the gun and the Joker. He then raises his unburnt eyebrow at the question.**

The one offscreen raised his eyebrow

**"It's fair."**

His eyes widen, "It's fair." Those two words repeated in his mind, thinking back to all the soldiers that were ever under his command. How when they were deployed on a dangerous mission, they always had a 50-50 chance of getting out of there alive. Oh sure, statistics claimed that those missions would tell them that they had a better survival rate, but really it's a luck of the draw. And you either live, or you die.

"It's fair." James whispered.

**James looks at him for a bit, contemplating his next action. He looks down, causing the Joker to do the same, then back again with a narrowed eye. He holds up the item that Joker gave him, the only thing left from his beloved Glynda, his father's lucky coin that he gave her, its 'tails side' blackened and scarred.**

**He holds the coin to the unburnt side, "You live." Joker nods in agreement.**

**He then flips it to the burnt side, "You die."**

**"Oh, now we're talking." Joker boasts.**

**James flips the coin, and it lands on his chest.**

**"You got lucky." James says, showing the unburnt side.**

**"Luck's got nothing to do with it." Joker says as he releases James' hands and leaves him to his own devices.**

"James, are you alright?" Glynda asked when she noticed that James didn't seem angry at the Joker walking away.

The man nodded, "I'm fine Glynda. It's alright. He had a fair chance" The teachers looked at him bewildered, wondering what happened to change his tone so quickly, but just shrugged and continued with viewing the screen.

Salem meanwhile was grinning like mad. Oh, she knew what James was going through. She had done a similar tactic with Hazel and Tyrian. Without even knowing, one of Oz's most trusted allies was becoming unravelled and spiraling into madness. The flip of the coin was simply the first step.

**Back to the streets, the light turns green, and the van starts to move forward. Inside, the cop looks nervously, but resolutely at his target, and as he pulls the trigger Oz leaps forward and forces the gun to point upwards, causing him to shoot the ceiling and thus saving the man's life. Outside, the pickup suddenly guns it, the driver's intentions clear.**

**Inside the Lamborghini Whitley sees this, and floors it too, and yanks the wheel to pull up onto the opposite lane. The pickup barrels at the van, but at the last second Whitley's car slips alongside the van. The pickup smashes into his car as the momentum causes him to hit the van, but not enough to do anything other than jolting it.**

The sisters hoped that he was alright.

**In the hospital, the Joker is near a rubbing alcohol dispenser as he presses a button and rubs the goo over his hands. He then walks calmly through the mostly deserted hallway.**

**While the Joker is escaping, James is seen getting out of his room, putting on the clothes that were on him when he was caught in that explosion. He leaves his room, putting his gun in one of his pockets while holding onto his coin, and as he walks down the hallway he hears somebody moaning in pain.**

**He turned to a corner and saw Ruby leaning on a wall while clutching her wounded stomach.**

*Gasp*"RUBY!" Her friends and family yelled in sorrow. Ruby was crying, knowing full well who shot her.

**"H-Help me." She begged as she tried to reach for him, "Please... Help me."**

"What are you waiting for James?" Qrow growls as he sees that the man isn't doing anything.

James looked at the scene, whispering "She has the same chance as _her_, 50-50."

Salem watched on, hearing what was said and knowing that he was unravelling further.

**His expression not changing, James takes out and flips his coin. It lands on the burnt side.**

**Still not saying anything, he takes out his gun and points to her head, watching as she looks on with a shocked expression.**

"You son of a bitch!" Tai shouted as he saw the man pull a gun on his little girl, with said girl paling as she sees just where the gun is pointed at.

James sighed, "She had her chance." Qrow and Tai looked murderously at the man, "What was that?!" But the man didnt say anything else.

'This is even better,' Salem thought in glee, 'what will you do now, Ozpin, with your inner circle fighting eash other?'

Cinder was watching the exchange, catching on to what was happening, and felt her lust grow. She even took out a pen and notepad to jot down notes, knowing that she could use this for her plans.

**On the streets, Ozpin's men are pulling the pickup driver from his car, and the man himself walks down to the car wreck that saved them. He sees Whitley sitting down next to the totaled car. He recognizes him as he got a closer look, one of his men taking a look into any possible injuries he may have received. "You okay, Mr. Schnee?"**

**Whitley looks up at him, woozy. "That was a brave thing you did, sir." Whitley just looks confusedly at him, "Trying to catch the light?" Oz looks back to the wrecks and back, "Wait, so you weren't protecting the van?"**

**Whitley turns and sees the police van as if for the first time. "Why? Who's in it?" he asks as he looks at Scarlet stepping away from the collision, dazed. His vision clears up, and he locks eyes with Whitley. Knowing who to thank for his continued existence, he nods and lowers his gaze in shame.**

**Whitley turns back to Oz as he begins to massage the back of his neck and asks, "Don't you think I should head for a hospital?"**

**Oz gives an amused expression at him as he says "You don't watch a whole lot of news, do you Mr. Schnee?"**

**Back to the Joker, as he's walking he pulls a detonator from his pocket. Strolling along he presses the detonation button while muttering, "Kapoowa." Just then, staggered explosions burst into the corridor behind him like demolition blasts.**

"Shit," Yang gasped out, "he was serious about that?" Many of the students gulped, just thanking Oum that everyone evacuated.

'Well,' most of them thought, looking to Nora, Ren, and Ruby, 'almost everyone.'

Tyrian cackled as he watched another fireworks display. He was just disappointed that no else was there to 'witness' this up-close.

**He just walks out the door and strolls down the steps as explosions continue to erupt behind him, windows blowing out in series and debris litter the area. In the parking lot, Lisa and her crew hear the explosions and immediately head for the nearby transport. Inside, people scream as they dive for cover. The Joker walks across the parking lot, parts of the building collapsing behind him, and he raises his arms out and smiles at the audience to showcase what he did.**

**Then the explosions stop. Joker turns around confused. He starts to walk forward again but stops again as he sees no new explosions happening. He then stares deadpan, a bit embarrassed over this turn of events, and mutters, "Oh, are you freaking kidding me?"**

"Don't worry son!" Tyrian tries to reassure his boy, "Everyone has performance problems, it's only natural!" Everyone felt weirded out by the man's statement. Yang wanted to laugh, but felt that the time was too inapropiate, even for her.

**Ignoring that, he then takes out his remote and starts pressing random buttons and slapping the remote in frustration.**

**"Come on, work you stupid-" Joker was cut off when the rest of the explosive go off destroying the rest of the hospital.**

**He quickly ducks as he hops on the transport that Lisa was on unnoticed. From there he and the audience watched the chaos unfold.**

**In an overhead view, the screen shows the hospital being engulfed in multiple large explosions, the sheer amount destroying the foundations and causing the entire building to collapse under its own weight. As it collapses, a large black dust cloud erupts into the sky, its shadow covering the once clear skies as it completely engulfs the screen.**

**END**

**This took a while to make, and again, thanks to ****Zeroth17**** for helping me with this chapter! R&R, it gives me life! Oh Gods, that took forever! Almost 17,500 words, nearly twice as long as my longest chapter! A new record for me, hope you guys love it. I'm going to pass out now.**

**1\. Lil' Miss Malachite, a gangster leader from Mistral. She is also the real mother of the twins.**

**2\. Neo's Volume 7 outfit, but without the ascot or Roman's hat. The hair style is also V7, but with the white highlights staying.**

**3\. Neo's weapon, Hush.**

**4\. In their point of view, they would join willingly join him for the simple fact that they wouldn't want him to set his eyes on them as his new Guinea pigs.**


	11. Why So Serious? Pt 10

**Chapter 10: "Why So Serious?" Pt. 10**

**Well, here we are, close to the Finale to Dark Knight! For all the love and support I've received, thank you. It's all very heartwarming for me, and it's thanks to all you that I've endured. Give yourselves a round of applause people, now onto the reviews!**

**REVAN004****: I think someone else was doing GoW4, but I am working on a version of Order 66 if that helps.**

**Jss2141****: Oh, thank you, but I don't think that I'll have the time to do a separate fanfic about that, but a guy can dream though right? Maybe I can do a chapter that goes into this instead of a full story.**

**TheCrazedBerserker****: Thanks for the love, and yes, I have. That's why I have spent so much time with the audience making their own theories and ideas. It's to have Jack pull the wool over their eyes and show them the 'truth' behind Joker's actions.**

**Writer2018****: Thanks again for sticking up for me. I really appreciate it.**

**Colossus Bridger****: I know that a few people are wishing for me to do this, but I don't really stream shows. Just a personal preference, sorry. Had Netflix a few years ago for about a week and I quickly grew bored of it and cancelled it since I didn't want to pay for something I would never use. Since then I never streamed anything, and it's for those reasons.**

**warrior of six blades****: And to think, that wasn't even the first time he influenced the audience like that! I always found it odd that what most do with react fics are that they get a few laughs, some feelings of anger/love, and that's it. By the next chapter happens, all that will be erased, and we are left with a mostly clean slate. I wanted to try something different, have the feelings fester in them, have what they watch influence them over time. Have what they see forever change how they view the world, and each other.**

**WearyCurmudgeon****: Yeah, sorry about that. Part of the misspelling is autocorrect from Word, and another is that the chapter was so large that some words would've no doubt been left incorrect. I'm surprised that it was so little (I know you didn't put more in, but the point still stands). So yeah, Cinder is already having thoughts on how to stack the deck as you said, and those in the light barely even knows that they have competition in their own ranks. Thank you for the Neo comment. That took me a long time to think of. How to get her to be Harley without it being forced. As for James, it's not going to get better. Soon he will see how good he is as a hero, almost too good. His new paranoia will have him try to arrest their Jaune, creating another orb to watch. Lastly, oooh, you are so close with the lineage. Here's a hint, why would I put in all the daughters? But you're right, they will want him even more when the truth comes out.**

**shinigamisama455****: Well, you're sort of right with the protective family bit, but not in the way you may think. He was trained, but due to an 'accident', he lost all that knowledge. Also, yes, my explanation will explain his semblance. After all, it will play a major role in a future scenario, as well as show a few hints to his 'mysterious' past.**

**UnlawfulGentleman****: Trust me, that won't be the end we see of that hatred, and this chapter will have him see just how much anger can blind you from the truth and snap him out of it; though perhaps, not in a way that the others would appreciate. And I'm glad you liked how devastated the thieves were.**

**Gamelover41592****: Someone else has already done this, a lot, and quite frankly the way they portrayed him scares the living crap out of me.**

**Sorry for the long wait guys, just had to help my family get ready for Thanksgiving! My absolute favorite time of the year! But I'm back now, and hopefully I'll get the final chapter of this Arc in a few days.**

**Disclaimer in the prologue.**

**Cutting to inside a bar in an empty neighborhood. Behind the counter, the bartender Tukson was watching the breaking news on the TV about the hospital, and the military now taking an active role. "Holy Hell. They actually blew up a hospital..."**

Blake was surprised to see her favorite book store's owner running a bar.

Cinder's faction was stunned as well, not expecting the turncoat White Fang alive, let alone working in such an establishment.

**He looked to the person sitting in front of him. "Are you seeing this, Adam?"**

Blake tensed at hearing that name, while Emerald and Mercury were grumbling at the mention of that psycho.

**There, Detective Adam Taurus was sitting in a booth and looking up at the TV, bored. Tukson looked worryingly at him, "Shouldn't you be out there, you know, doing something?"**

**Adam shrugged, "It's my day off." He then drank his alcohol.**

"Wow, what a major prick." Yang said, earning nods from most of the students.

Weiss narrowed her eyes, "Wasn't he the one who drove General Ironwood when we last saw him?" She turned to the others while they became wide-eyed, especially Blake, "Just before he was kidnapped?" She finished.

James narrowed his eyes hatefully at the Faunus, believing him to be one of the cops who sold them out. He also gave a quick glance at the dark-haired student, 'didn't my other also accuse her of being corrupt?' He took a deep breath to try to calm himself, certain that one way or the other, the ones who did this will face justice.

**Tukson shuts the register sadly. Sighing, he says "I gotta take a leak, keep an eye on things, will ya?" Adam nods distractingly and Tukson steps out. He looks over his shoulder with suspicion and the screen focuses on his face. A few seconds later, the back door opens again with footsteps being heard coming from behind the counter.**

**Still looking backwards, Adam smirks, "What? You need me to shake it for..." He turns back and trails off as someone sticks a gun to his face. The view moves back, and it shows that the one holding the gun is James Ironwood.**

Many were first disgusted by "such vulgar language", as Winter and Glynda put it, but then those people paled at seeing the half burn victim standing there, holing a gun to the Faunus' head.

**James glares at the man, wearing the same suit that he wore when he lost everything, showing similar burns as his face. "Hello."**

**Adam gulped, "James, I thought you was...dead..." James took the glass and said "Half." before drinking the last of Adam's drink. Adam watches the bare muscles retract as James swallows, which caused many in the audience to wrench at. He then tossed the glass behind him, wiping what alcohol that escaped through the holes, before cocking the gun. "Who picked up Glynda, Adam?"**

The heroes froze at the sound; while James was glaring at the man, hoping to hear the name of the one who sold her out.

**Adam gulped, "It must've been one of Jacques' men-" James interrupts him by slamming his free fist on the counter and yelling "SHUT UP!" in anger. Adam, and many in the audience, flinches. "You, of all people, are gonna protect the other traitor in Oz's unit?"**

James became angrier at the little traitor withholding such crucial information. 'I suppose traitors do stick together.' he thinks as he scowls.

**Adam became more nervous as he looks down at the gun, "I don't know, he'd never tell me." He stares at James and shook his head, "I swear to Oum, I didn't know what they were gonna do to you!"**

**James snorts and pulls out his coin, dropping it in a way so that it spins on the counter. "Funny," he says, looking down at the spinning coin, "I don't know what's going to happen to you, either." It stops and lands on the table. Scarred side up. James glares at him and raises his gun. BANG!**

The sound of the gunshot caused many to jump, and Glynda to press a hand over her mouth in horror at what he's done. The other heroes were a wreck, some of the students had to wipe their eyes. Blake was looking don, saddened to see her ex-partner die, even if he was a traitor to Oz.

James meanwhile, smiled a bit. 'One down, soon the other will fall and Her death will be avenged.'

The villains smirked, knowing that it was too late for the man to remain in the 'light' anymore. Cinder and Tyrian looked proud at that.

Cinder shuddered in pleasure, 'Yes. I may not know what your plan is my dear, but it certainly is working.' She looked to Emerald, and whispered in her ear, "Emerald, whatever it takes, _we_ must get this Jaune fellow to join us." She saw her underling look a bit apprehensive at the thought of letting this madman join. She smirked, "Don't worry, I do not want a version of the clown. No, I want our version, for his tactical mind and 'caring' nature." She assured her.

Emerald let go of a breath that she didn't know she was holding, relieved that her boss didn't want the crazy clown version. The 'caring' part got her to blush as she thought of all the pampering she would get from the man. 'Well,' she thought, 'if this version was nice enough to buy that walking ice-cream cone gifts- and he was the crazy version- then I wonder what I'll get from our version.' The blush got worse; and while she was deep in la-la-land, Cinder took out her scroll and texted Neo, knowing that she was lusting after him too and wanted to have a better chance at seducing him. She saw Neo get the message, and after she read it, looked to her and gave her two thumbs up. Cinder smirked back, feeling secure that she would get the blond over to her side soon.

Over to the hero side, the ones who has a crush on him collectively shivered in fear and jealousy, looking at everyone and wondering why they're feeling such a foreboding feeling.

Raven and Vernal even had one, and they looked at each other and glared. They knew that something was wrong, and as they looked back to the audience, they saw the interaction between the women in Salem's faction. They found out why. 'Those women/sluts are working together!' Raven and Vernal thought respectively. Raven in fear of how she may lose such a promising member to her tribe, while Vernal was angry at the thought of those little whores trying to move in on 'her' man.

Salem was looking pleased as she watched over the students and teachers as they looked devastated, even Oz looked heartbroken. She took immense pleasure in his despair. She then looked to see the General, and smiled wickedly at his smile, 'Oh my, Ozpin you fool. You don't even know how far your toy soldier is falling, do you?'

**Just as the gunshot was heard, the scene changed to outside the remains of the blown-up hospital where Oz was frantically surveying the scene with a cop. "You must know how many were inside," he addressed the officer, "you've got patient lists, roll calls-" "Sir!" The cop interrupted.**

**"Sir. Look at what we're dealing with. Cops, National Guard..." he gestures at the chaos, then to the transports. "We're showing 50 missing, but that building was clear. These transports are heading off to other hospitals." He stops to sigh in slight frustration, "My guess is we missed one."**

**Oz nods sarcastically, "Yeah? What's your guess about where James Ironwood is?" The cop says nothing. "Keep looking." He orders, tapping his chest as he adds "And keep it to yourself." The cop nods and goes to fulfill his order, leaving Oz to look back at the chaos and fear that the Joker wrought upon his city.**

The heroes hope that Oz can stop James' other.

**Inside Schnee Enterprises, Adrian is watching the news. His intercom suddenly buzzes. "Uh, sir?" His secretary says. "Security footage is showing a break-in at the R&D department." He narrows his eyes, telling his secretary that he'll be right there.**

**Inside the corridor outside the R&D, Adrian watches two security men force the door open, but he orders them to wait outside while he enters alone. Inside the lab, he enters the dimly-lit room. At one end is a wide desk and an extraordinary array of thousands of tiny monitors.**

Most of the teachers, students, and Watts are all intrigued by the look of the tech. James would be too if he wasn't so preoccupied with his thoughts.

**Adrian approaches the table, fascinated, as they quietly display architectural patterns individually and in concert. The images become a map. "Beautiful. Isn't it?" Batman says, the screen zooming in on some of the monitors, showing the man's face hidden in their shadows.**

**He nods, staring at the monitors as Batman approaches. "Beautiful. Unethical. Dangerous. You've turned every scroll in the city into a microphone." He presses a key, and the babble of a million conversations at once fills the room. Every scroll in the city. Batman nods, "And high frequency generator/receiver."**

**Adrian looks to him, "Like the scroll I gave you in Atlas." He looks back to the screens, a hint of fear at what he's seeing, and its implications, taking hold. "You took my sonar concept and applied it to everybody's scroll in Vale. With half the city feeding you sonar you can image all of Vale."**

The students all pale, thinking about the MASSIVE breach in privacy. The teachers meanwhile were disgusted by how big a violation to hundreds of thousands, maybe millions, of peoples' privacy was, and all being used by one man. Even if it was for the greater good in finding a madman, to them it's still wrong.

The villains were a bit worried about the potential risks that this tech could be to their operations, but the more intelligent ones were smirking at the sight. 'He's getting desperate.' Was their collective thought.

**He turns to Batman, "This is wrong."**

Most of the heroes nod in agreement.

**Batman proves the villains' theory. "I've got to find this man, Adrian." Adrian looks to Batman with a scowl. "But at what cost?" he asks.**

**Batman looks to the computer system, "The database is null-key encrypted." he looks to the man, "It can only be accessed by one person."**

**But the man shakes his head in defiance. "No one should have that kind of power." He looks glances to the side briefly before looking back to Batman.**

**Batman walks forward a bit, "That's why I gave it to you. Only you can use it." Adrian gazes hard at Batman. "Spying on thirty million people isn't in my job description." he proclaims, still not agreeing with this. Batman points to a TV screen and he turns. On screen, the Joker himself is shaking his head above a graphic labeled: "LATEST THREAT".**

The students gulp, remembering the _last_ time he made a speech over the news. The adults tensed for the same reason.

Most of the villains though were interested in what new and dangerous thing this man will unleash. Tyrian was once again filming everything like the proud parent he was.

**Across the city, people stop and look to the broadcast. The camera switches over to Lisa Lavender, upside down and a drawing of a smile on her face, but thankfully not with the accompanying scars to match to the heroes' relief. She looks terrified at the camera as she's handed a small stack of leaflets and says, "**_**What does it take to make you people want to join in**_**..?"**

**In a tent near the hospital's husk, Oz watches a screen with a grave expression. "**_**You failed to kill the lawyer... I've got to get you off the bench and into the game. So, here it is...**_**" We head to inside a bar downtown, packed with business people who watch the TV silently, "**_**Come nightfall, this city is mine, and anyone left plays by my rules.**_**" We cut back to Adrian and Batman, "**_**If you don't want to be in the game, get out now.**_**" Back to the bar, we see patrons start moving to leave, but stop when she finishes the threat. "**_**But the bridge-and-tunnel crowd are in for a surprise. Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha.**_**" Lisa fake laughs as the Joker laughs in the background, before the camera angles to him and the camera cuts to static. The bar patrons look around, scared.**

All the heroes were feeling the same, as well as worried for the innocent people that would be trapped inside the city with him.

Tyrian though was silently cheering on his boy for stirring up so much chaos in his wake. Though now that he thought about it, he did feel a tad bit inadequate. 'I feel so old now.' He thought, but then he smiled.

"I'm so proud of you!" His sudden shout caused many to jump in fright, not expecting anyone to shout like that. Especially in the tense scene that they just witnessed.

**Back in the lab, Adrian looks away from the TV to look at Batman. Batman nods, "Trust me." Adrian just stares at him. "This is the audio sample." He plugs a USB chip into the console, and suddenly a sample of the Joker's voice from the call-in news program starts playing. "If he talks within range of any scroll in the city, you'll be able to triangulate his position." The man toggles a menu. From there, he sees that the city is an open book. He sees people working, eating, sleeping.**

The heroes were more disgusted by what they were seeing. Even the villains were starting to feel a bit creeped out.

**Adrian shakes his head. "When you've finished, type your name to switch it off." Batman then moves to leave the room, but stops when Adrian says "I'll help you this one time..."**

Penny was especially shocked when hearing that her father would agree to such a blatant misuse of power.

**He glares at him, "But consider this my resignation." Batman turns to see the glare directed at him. "As long as this machine is at Schnee Enterprises, I won't be."**

Now she felt relieved, pacing a hand over her chest as she released a breath, just like she saw people do when she was studying Human and Faunus behavior.

**At dusk, in various locations the people of Vale are pouring out of the city, by foot and by car. The bridges and tunnels are deserted, except for bomb squad search teams actively looking for anything 'funny'.**

**Inside City Hall, Oz is briefing Port. "My officers are going over every inch of the tunnels and bridges with a fine comb, but with the Joker's threat they're not an option." Port strokes his mustache as he looks thoughtfully for any solution to this problem. "Land routes East?" He suggests, but Oz shakes his head and regretfully says, "Backed up for hours. Which leaves the ferries with thirty thousand waiting to board." He sighs at this, "Plus, the jails are at capacity, so I want to use a ferry to take some prisoners off the island."**

James glares at how Oz was willing to let thousands of prisoners to be ferried to safety over those innocent people.

The others in the hero faction were skeptical as well, not knowing why he would prioritize the lives of these criminals over that of civilians and asking why he should let them to themselves. Only Oz was sure in his other's decision, looking a disappointed at his friends. 'Seriously, is it so hard to get a bit of trust here?' You don't want the answer to that, old man.

Salem and Cinder frowned, thinking similarly to Oz.

**Port looked at him disbelievingly. "The men you and James put away?" He shakes his head, "Those aren't people I'm worried about."**

Oz narrowed his eyes, "You should be. They're the people you least want to be stuck here. Whatever the Joker's planning, it's a good bet that James' prisoners might be involved. I want them out of here before he can get a chance to use them."

Now the heroes were placated, hearing Oz's explanation and feeling silly for believing that the old man was going crazy. Oz felt smug about this, knowing exactly why it was so important to move those prisoners.

**Outside at a ferry terminal, the National Guardsman are watching over the 30 thousand jostling, scared people waiting to board the two massive ferries to the neighboring city of Patch. Grumbles of fear turned to yells as they watch 800 prisoners being loaded onto a ferry by shotgun-toting, armor-wearing, officers.**

Blake gulped, "that's a lot of prisoners." Her words were accompanied by nervous whispers of agreement. The Joker was already dangerous enough, if Oz didn't get those people out of there fast enough then if the Joker released them, then he'd get an obedient and loyal army out of them.

**One of the civilians was trying to get over the barricades that the police set up earlier to separate the two groups, yelling "That ain't right! We should be on that boat." The Guardsman next to him turned to address him, "You want to ride across with them, be my guest." That got the man to quiet down.**

The heroes looked at the chaos and fear in sadness; the adults remembering all the times they had to help evacuations of smaller settlements from the Grimm, while the students were getting twitchy. Some, like Ruby, were trying to reign in their innate instincts to help those people, knowing that it was no use.

**Cutting to the back of a warehouse, we see Jacques being escorted by two goons to a parked limo nearby, cane in hand as he slightly limps. One of the men peeled away with Jacques to open the passenger door on the far side as the other one was about to open the door nearest to him when he was suddenly grabbed by someone and pulled off-screen.**

The heroes tensed, while the villains rose eyebrows, all wondered what just happened.

Raven smirked, "Well, well." She said, earning their attention. "It looks like the Joker's making another power move. He's taking out the last of the crime lords in the city, and with the police preoccupied with the evacuations, he's got him right where he wants him." Her look turned thoughtful, stroking her chin as she continued with "This was likely his plan all along, and if not then a part of it, impressive."

The heroes began sweating in fear, knowing that with that man gone, there would be no one left to stop him from taking absolute control of all the criminals left in the city. And with Oz and Batman not knowing where he is, this is his chance to take him out.

Weiss and Winter were worried, not for their _father_, but for the innocents that would no doubt suffer from his death.

Vernal blushed. She didn't think that she would see her man so soon, but her heart was beating fast as she leaned forwards.

Neo did the same with Cinder and Emerald not far behind. Cinder even smirked sensually at Raven's explanation. 'You are just full of interconnecting plans, aren't you?'

Salem looked on with an unexpected amount of pride, 'So all this was your plan? To get that man alone with only a paltry force, and killing him with the few number of eyes as possible?' She smirked, 'I don't know why, but I am very proud of you.'

Tyrian was absolutely beaming with pride at his spawn's planning and the chaos he released onto the populous, 'THAT'S MY BOY!'

**Inside, Jacques settles back into his seat, feeling safe inside the limo with his most trusted bodyguards as the car pulls away. "Don't stop for lights, cops, nothing." He looks to the seat next to him, expecting to see his lieutenant there, but tensed up in fear at seeing who was really sitting next to him.**

The heroes tensed in fear, while the villains smirked in victory.

**It was James, head facing forward as to hide his scars.**

Now the heroes were confused, and the villains were looking disappointed.

The students wiped their sweat from their brows, happy to know that it wasn't the Joker. (AN: "I guess they forgot about how he killed Taurus, huh.")

Vernal, Neo, Cinder, and Emerald were all glaring at the screen, crushed/pissed off at how they were tricked like that, then they switched their glares over to Ironwood, causing the man to stiffen at the sudden malicious intent sent at him.

"Wait," Weiss said slowly, looking at the shadow created by the door, "Is that his pistol in his left hand?" Everyone looked closely, and in the darkness created by the door, they could make out the outline of James' gun from the shadow. The students were sweating again while the adults widened their eyes.

James was smirking, knowing that his other would enact justice on the man who unleashed the Joker on them all.

That smirk ended when Cinder began laughing. "Hahaha! Oh my, now I understand." Cinder smiled sadistically.

Emerald looked at her boss wide-eyed. She never heard her sound so happy before. "Uh, ma'am?" She asked hesitantly, but Cinder merely waved it off. "Don't worry, Emerald. You'll find out soon enough."

Salem, after thinking about it for a few seconds, figured it out as well. She smirked over at her ex, knowing now that no matter what happens after this point, Oz will lose.

**James looked sideways, "Going to join your wife?" Jacques gulps, seeing him clutch a pistol. He nods slowly. "You love her?" he asks. Jacques looks at him, confused by the question but answers anyway. "Yes."**

"LIES!" Nora yells, making a few jump in fright and glare at the girl, before pointing to the man. "We all saw you with that girl, you cheater!" At first, everyone was confused by her shouting, Ren trying desperately to get her to calm down. But when they heard the second part, that all changed.

The teachers stared in disgust at the man, those who are/were married (yes, even Salem) were glaring at the cheating bastard, and the students were wanting to go and break some legs as Nora was so eager to say.

The Schnee sisters grinded their teeth, imagining their own father cheating on their mother and thinking of how that would affect her. 'Actually,' the two thought simultaneously as they began to relax, 'that might not be such a bad thing.' They thought of how that scandal would cause a divorce, and him being removed from his position as head of the SDC.

They started to have a few ideas about this, before shaking their heads and continued with the viewing.

**James discreetly rolled his eyes, knowing how the man likes to spend his free time, turning to him fully and asked, "Can you imagine what it would be like to listen to her die?" Jacques leans to him, and says with as much confidence as he can, "Look, take it up with the Joker, ok? He killed your woman. Made you... like this..." He pointed to the damage in his face.**

**James half smiled, "The Joker's just a mad dog. I want whoever let him off the leash." Jacques looks at the man, worried. James sees this and tries to coax him by saying "I took care of Adam, now who's your other man inside Ozpin's unit? Who picked up Glynda? It must've been someone she trusted."**

**Jacques swallowed and took a deep breath, "Look If I tell you, will you let me go?" James points the gun at him. "Can't hurt your chances."**

**He glanced at the gun, before smirking at James, "It was Belladonna."**

At the mention of her last name, Blake gasped and placed a hand over her mouth. The students were shocked, they didn't want to believe it. Yang stood up and addressed her friends, "Guys, come on! There's no way he's telling the truth."

Nora jumped in with a "Yeah! He even lied to his face by saying that he loves his wife!" Weiss and Winter clenched their fists the info, but they couldn't help but agree with her claim as did the others.

The teachers calmed down after the 'explanation'; and James, who before was glaring heavily at the girl, stopped and looked back to the screen.

Roman, more than willing to stir the pot, said "Oh really blondie? You think he's lying?" His questions earned him a lot of attention.

He stands up and points to the screen, "In case you forgot, that burn victim did say that she was corrupt earlier." James wasn't amused by his other's new nickname, while Yang glared at him and opened her mouth to tell him off, but what he said next caused them both to pause. "And didn't Batman text Oz earlier to watch out for the kitty cat when they did that security shtick?" He grinned, "Why would he even do that if he wasn't sure about her guilt?"

The heroes could only stare at him as horror began to creep up on them. Blake was by now sobbing into her hands as Yang sat down in shock, but soon she wrapped her arms around her partner to comfort her.

James meanwhile was glaring at the Faunus again.

The villains though only looked on, pleased over the speech. Cinder smirked at Roman, "Well done, Roman. Well done." In a rare move, she complimented him. The man just grinned as he bowed like he was an entertainer and sat back in his seat, earning a pat on the back by his partner in crime as he did.

**James pulls out his coin and cocks the pistol. Jacques paled at the action, saying "But you said-" but was interrupted by James saying, "I said it couldn't hurt your chances." He then flips the coin and watches as it lands on his wrist.**

Everyone leans forward, wanting to know the coin's outcome.

**They look. It landed on the good side.**

The heroes sigh in relief while the villains mostly pout at seeing the result.

James was silently cursing at the man's luck.

**James just shrugs. Looking at Jacques, he says "You're a lucky guy." The crime boss looks confused, but smiles, thinking that he was in the clear. Dent suddenly flips the coin again and watches it land again. He looks down at the coin and shakes his head. "But he's not."**

**"Who?" Jacques asked, afraid of who he was talking about.**

Everyone went tense again when they saw the man flip his coin again and were confused as he mentioned someone else. Ruby asked no one in particular "Yeah, who else would he choose?"

**James smiles at him, putting on his seatbelt on as points his gun forward. "Your driver."**

Ruby, and many of the heroes, pale at that.

**He presses the barrel of the revolver behind the shadow of the driver, and fires. Outside, the Limo swerves off a bridge, and soars out over the canal, and pancakes into the retaining wall.**

James secretly grins at seeing the crash, knowing that the man most likely died from that.

The heroes gasped at this. James just killed two people with that stunt.

Cinder grins, and while addressing Emerald, points to the screen. "You see now, my dear?" Emerald looks to her boss in confusion. "The Joker did plan on killing that man, as this woman said." She gestures to Raven, "He just used our dear General to do it." Her grin turns predatory, "The last obstacle to his rule is now gone, and he didn't even have to lift a finger."

The heroes were in disbelief, they didn't think of that. And the woman's last bit of info, they all paled in fear. She's right, The Joker won without having to do anything. James acted just as the Joker planned on doing.

The man himself was torn, on the one hand his other killed the man who unleashed the Joker on the world. On the other, his other was manipulated into doing so, assisting the Joker in his schemes.

**Back to the ferry terminal, civilians are cramming their way onto one of the ferries, desperately hoping to be one of the first ones to leave. Finally, the commander of the National Guard unit signals to his men to stop boarding and cast off. The two ferries then begin to set off across the river, heading for the lights of the distant shore of the mainland as night falls.**

Weiss sighs in relief, "At least those people are safe now." Many nod as they express similar emotions.

The villains though were waiting for the other shoe to drop, knowing by this point that the Joker always has a plan.

**Inside the bridge of the prisoner ferry, the First Mate looks out the window to the second ferry. The other ferry suddenly stops dead in the water. He turns to the pilot, saying "They've lost their engines."**

**The pilot shakes his head in slight frustration and says, "Get on the radio and tell 'em we'll come back for them once we dump these scumbags." The First Mate nods, but as he moved to the radio, suddenly, the control panel flickers and dies.**

Now the heroes were tense. One of the ferries losing power was one thing, that could've been brushed off as an unwelcomed coincidence. But both? That just reeks of sabotage.

The villains tough sat back, pleased with themselves at being proven right.

**The pilot looks over his equipment, before turning to the First Mate and ordering him to get down to the engine room and see what the problem was. In the passenger lounge of the prisoner ferry, the man skirts around the prisoners and guards before heading inside an access corridor.**

**The First Mate then opens the door to the engine room. He goes inside, but immediately stops at what he sees. There, surrounding the boilers and crammed together on the floors, were hundreds of barrels of fuel.**

The students gulp. Qrow was shaking a bit as he tries to take a drink of his flask. Tai notices this and asked him if he was alright. Qrow, after taking his sip, shakes his head and says, "No I'm not alright, Tai." He points to the screen where all those barrels are. "If that boat has those barrels on them, then most likely the other one has them as well."

What he said made many of the students shiver in fear for those people, while the teachers all clenched their fists to calm themselves.

**A small, wrapped present, topped with a bow, was sitting oh so innocently on top of one of the barrels closest to him. In the bridge, the pilot is holding the small present that the First Mate just gave him. Over the radio, the pilot of the passenger ferry is heard saying, "**_**Same thing over here, with enough fuel to blow us all sky high. And a present**_**."**

**Outside in an elevated roadway downtown, Batman is sitting on the bat-pod, cape blowing in the wind as he listens to the chatter of the ferries that he's watching over. He taps his commlink once, "Adrian? There's something going on with the ferries..."**

**In the passenger lounge of the civilian ferry, as cold and scared families watch, the commander of the guards unwraps that ferry's present. Inside, he finds a crude remote detonator. He looks confusedly to his men, "Why would they give us the detonator to our own bomb?"**

The heroes and villains were wondering that as well. By this point, even the heroes realized that the Joker always has an angle or motive to his plans and were thinking up ideas as to what this one is.

**Up in the wiring at the ceiling, a scroll taped in to the P.A. rings and answers. The Joker's voice is then heard over the P.A. "**_**Tonight, you're all going to be part of a social experiment.**_**"**

His voice caused Vernal, Neo, Emerald, and Cinder to blush a bit; the heroes though could only feel dread, knowing that whatever it was that he was going to announce, it wasn't going to be good.

**On both ferries, everyone stops what they're doing and listens to the Joker's announcement. Fear, already high, was starting to cause a mild panic but no one did anything, too paralyzed in fear to do much more than breath.**

**In the lab, Adrian looks up as the console chimes. He leans into the microphone and says "I'm zeroing in." The Joker's voice is heard over the speakers, "**_**Through the magic of diesel fuel and ammonium nitrate, I'm ready to blow you all sky high."**_** Inside the bridge of the prisoner ferry, the pilot is trying to contact anyone with the radio but stops when he realizes something. "It's dead." He turns to the crew, "He killed the radio."**

**The Joker's voice is heard again, "**_**Anyone attempts to get off their boat, you all die**_**..." Adrian presses a few keys, trying to triangulate the Joker's location. "His voice is on the ferry, but that's not the source..."**

**On top of the rooftops over Vale, Batman looks out across the entire city skyline. "Do you have a location on the Joker?" Adrian's voice is heard through the link, "**_**It's west...**_**" Batman immediately fires up the bat-pod, his cape shrinks into its pack form as he peels out, roaring into the night.**

The sisters pray that their brother can make it in time. The students and teachers were not far behind in those thoughts.

The villains though weren't worried, they knew that somehow, the Joker will win in their confrontation. It is now merely a matter of _how_ he'll do it.

**Back to the boats, the Joker wasn't finished yet explaining the rules for his new game. "**_**Now there's no need for all of you to die. That would be a waste. So, I've left you both a little present**_**." In each boat, we see the commanders carry with them the 'present'. The detonators. "**_**Each of you has a remote to blow up the other boat**_**."**

"Oh my, how bold." Cinder whispers as she grins at the mind games she's seeing the Joker enacting on the populous, taking great joy in both that, as well as the panic she's seeing coming from the heroes.

**We then cut briefly to a penthouse suite of a hotel building, where the Joker is seen staring out over the harbor at the ferries. He's talking into a scroll as he's holding a notepad with words to his speech as he reads from it. "At midnight, I blow you all up." He says, smiling at the view.**

Pyrrha, Ruby, and Velvet could hardly handle the way their crush was enjoying the madness that he was inflicting upon those poor people.

The heroes were mostly confused though, why would he give those people the detonators for the other boat. Then they paled, remembering that one of those boats are filled with criminals and killers.

**Cutting back to the boats, the Joker's voice continues, "**_**But we're going to make things a little more interesting than that. Tonight, we're going to learn a little bit about ourselves**_**..."**

**In the passenger lounge of the prisoner ferry, both the prisoners and cops listen, appalled by his actions. "**_**If one of you presses the button, I'll let that boat live. So, who's it going to be?"**_** Cutting to both the passenger sections as the choices are read, "**_**James Ironwood's most wanted scumbag collection, or the sweet innocent civilians? You choose**_**. **_**Oh, and you might want to decide quickly, because the people on the other boat may not be quite so noble**_**." The Joker then hangs up.**

Tyrian was cackling at the ultimatum, thinking that those civilians were screwed.

Cinder was blushing heavily at the deviousness of the plan. 'Amazing, so either the criminals go with their nature and blow up the civilians, or those same civilians will go and blow up the boat filled with killers and innocent military personnel at once. And they know that if they don't do it, then their all dead, thus making the civilians even more desperate to press the button first.'

Her blush suddenly turned bright red and she looked down, wincing a bit at the rather big wet spot in her dress. Luckily only Emerald was nearby to see, the atomic blush she had was proof enough for her, and that her powers were quite handy in evaporating any evidence.

Neo had a similar problem, but unlike her 'boss', she had no fire powers to make the liquid go way. What she did have was a dark pair of pants that hid the stain better.

The heroes reached the same conclusion as those two but weren't as thrilled as them. In fact, they were downright terrified.

**The pilot of the prisoner ferry looks down at the remote in his hands. Just then, the prisoners begin yelling and pushing, desperately trying to reach for the remote.**

"Oh no! It's already begun, all those people are doomed!" Nora shouts as she grabs fistfuls of her hair in distress. The other students were not fairing any better, some of whom were biting on their nails, tugging at their hair like Nora, or were suddenly having problems breathing.

**The Warden takes the remote from the pilot and cocks his shotgun. His men, taking the hint, all level their weapons at the crowd. Cutting to the docks, Oz looks out at the ferries. Then his scroll rings. He answers it and hears Batman's voice, "**_**I have the Joker's location."**_

The heroes sigh in slight relief, at least now they know where to look for him.

**In Vale's streets, Batman soars on the bat-pod. As he drives, he's giving directions to Oz on the location. "**_**He's hold up inside the Prewitt building. Assemble on the building opposite**_**."**

**In the civilian ferry's lounge, the commander is holding the remote. Several passengers take a step towards him, and he quickly pulls out his weapon. "Stay back." he says.**

Salem was pleased at seeing those 'innocent' people acting like this. She then thought of something and started to chuckle. Hazel looked to her and asked what was funny. She turned to him and smirked, "Oh it's nothing, dear. I'm just remembering what this young man said earlier. _'These civilized people, they'll eat each other_.' I believe it was."

She then turned back to the screen with one last remark, "I am glad to see just how right he was."

**A businessman clutching his briefcase speaks up, "Who are you to decide?" He looks around at the crowd with one arm spread wide, "Now we ought to talk this over, at least." Other passengers nod or voice their agreement.**

**A mother holding her two kids close speaks up. "We don't all have to die. Why should my babies die?" She points to the other boat while looking at the commander, "Those people had their chance."**

**The commander shakes his head, saying "We're not talking about this..."**

**The businessman shouts "Well why aren't we talking about this?!" And another civilian points to the other boat, "They're talking over the same thing on the other boat."**

**The mother snorts and looks to the other passenger, "If they're even bothering to talk." She addresses the crowd, "Let's put it to a vote."**

The villains were greatly amused by them turning over their fellow man for their own safety.

Meanwhile the heroes were watching the scene play out in horror, seeing those people becoming pawns in the Joker's mad plan. They watched as he was corrupting them.

**Back to the other ferry, as the prisoners grow angrier, an officer fires his shotgun into the air. **

**The prisoners back off slightly but were now begging for the officers to hand then the device.**

**In the civilian boat, the commander relents and has one of the guards passes around a hat and some paper with pens. "Alright, each person has one vote, whether or not to blow up the other boat. Once you're done, simply place the paper inside and pass the hat around to the next person." People were quickly writing down their answers and dropping them into the hat. Those who already filled theirs out eye each other. Some of them are on their scrolls saying goodbye to their loved ones.**

The students were in tears as they watch them commit this act. The teachers could only gaze down in shame, not knowing what they would do in a similar situation.

Salem and Cinder were smirking in satisfaction. The Joker's plan was working, those 'innocent' people were about to become not so innocent in a few minutes. Though they did pause to think for a bit.

This game of his was a bit too straight forward. There must be angle going on here, there always is with this man. Then their eyes widen, 'What if it's another trap?' Cinder thinks.

Salem rubs her chin in concentration, 'What if those devices are meant to blow up their own boats. He's likely using their fear to make them achieve what he wants. If the prisoners use the detonator, they would simply kill themselves. But if those civilians do it, then their last act would be knowing that they condemned hundreds of people to their deaths.'

They smile wickedly as they both reach the same conclusion. 'Wouldn't that be a treat if that was true.'

**The pilot of the passenger ferry looks out across the water to the other boat, before looking up at the overhead clock. It reads 10 to midnight. He then stares down at his blank paper before gulping, praying for forgiveness as he writes down his answer.**

**Cutting over to Ozpin's home, Salem was cooking dinner for her little girls before her scroll goes off. She frowns, "That's odd, I'm not expecting a call right now." She nevertheless answers it. "Hello?"**

**She hears Blake's voice over the call, "**_**Salem, it's Blake Belladonna.**_**"**

Blake tensed up, 'Oh no.' Yang tried to comfort her when she saw her partner start to tear up again.

Salem, as well as her faction, was still a bit weirded out at seeing her human form but she was starting to get used to it. Though now she felt something, a foreboding feeling that something with this call was wrong. She remembered that the now dead crime lord mentioned how this girl was on his payroll, and thus couldn't be trusted. She then turned her gaze to the one in the audience and glared.

Blake felt like someone was glaring at her, and looked to see who. When she did, she wished she didn't and started to shiver in fear. So much was that fear, that she hugged Yang back as a sort of buffer.

**Salem smiles at hearing her friend's voice, "Oh hi, Blake."**

**She heard Blake's voice say "_Listen carefully, there's no time. Oz needs you to pack up and get the kids in the car right away._"**

Her glare got worse when her children were mentioned.

And Ozpin, much to his private shame, started to glare at her as well before he could stop himself. He did stop but the damage was done, Blake started to cry as she started whispering apologies from Yang's embrace. The sight of her student like this brought him so much pain inside. The slap to the face from Glynda brought him pain on the outside as well.

**Her expression turned to worry, "But the units outside-" But Blake interrupted her, "_Salem, those cops outside can't be trusted. Oz needs you away from them as soon as possible. I'll call them off for 10 minutes, but you'll have to move fast"_ She peeked over her shoulder in fear, "But where do we go?"**

**"_I'm going to give you an address, Oz will meet you there..._" Cutting to the MCU Blake is seen holding her scroll. She relays the location, "250, 52nd street. Leave as soon as the patrol car pulls out." The view pans out to show that James is holding a gun to Blake's head.**

James glared at the mention of _that_ address, but he smirked as he saw his other pointing his gun at the traitor.

The students paled at seeing their friend in danger. Blake, though worried, felt that she deserves what may come next.

The teachers were worried, seeing the young woman being threatened to betray that family. That worry turned to fear when it was revealed just who was threatening her.

Ozpin was thinking of how his friend's other version was going after _his_ family, that he started to become filled with rage. He was about to get up and demand James what his other was doing, but what he saw next would shock him into silence.

Glynda, worried for the lives of her student and that family, turned to ask James what his other was doing, but once she saw his smirk, she grew disgusted and angry. In her angered state, she got up and went over to him, much to the audience's surprise. Then, with the audience now watching, grabbed the now confused man, and punched him so hard in the face that she subconsciously used her semblance to sent him flying towards a shelf.

The impact actually managed to shatter the shelf, sending orbs flying with a few being heard going "Wee!" as they flew, before landing on the floor, and sliding away to another shelf where he stopped before its feet. He could only groan from the pain he felt. Luckily he was half-cyborg, so his aura had only to protect half of him. That fact was the only reason he wasn't dead.

Everyone was shocked, especially the students, that Glynda lost her cool like that. So much so that Winter, Weiss, and Penny didn't even think of going to aid the General; though Yang, Nora, and Coco did cheer her on when it looked like she was going to continue. Their fun was ruined however when Jack calmly walked over to her and gently escorted her back to her seat.

Most of the villains were surprised by the power her punch had, the men were shivering in fear whilst the women nodded in respect.

Salem, once she saw Glynda take her seat, got up and went over to her. Everyone who was still conscious watched with bated breath as she went over, before their eyes widened with what she did next.

Glynda, still pumped up with adrenaline, didn't notice Salem's approach until she was right in front of her. That adrenaline turned to panic, then to confusion when she saw Salem knelt down to her eye level and hugged her. She heard her whisper "Thank you." before she before she broke the hug and went back to her seat.

She was deeply shocked by her actions, and only when a hand rested on her shoulder did she move again. She quickly turned to see Ozpin looking at her in concern, but she also saw in his eyes gratitude. He just nodded his head and turned back to the screen. She rose an eyebrow, but when she remembered about the family onscreen, it clicked and she just smiled.

When Salem returned to her seat, no one said anything and just looked back to the viewing, trying to forget what just happened.

Jack grumbled as he went about fixing the mess that she left behind, ignoring the passed out General as he worked.

**She hangs up and James said "She believe you?" Blake looks down as she silently nods with tears in her eyes from what she did. "that's 'cause she trusts you. Just like Glynda did."**

And just like that, the tension returned.

**Blake looked back to him, "I didn't know-" but James continued in a mocking voice, "'What they were gonna do'? You're the second cop to say that to me. What, exactly, did you think they were going to do?"**

Blake flinched at the accusation, and Yang just hugged her again.

**She looked remorsefully at him, "I'm sorry, they got me early on. My mother's medical bills and my-" "Don't!" James takes out and flips his coin. "I'm sorry." She whispered.**

She thinks about what she would do to have her mother, really any of her parents, healthy. She didn't like what her mind was suggesting.

**James looks at his coin. Bad side.**

**He looks back to her, "Not good enough." James cracks her on the head with his gun, then levels it to her head and shoots her.**

The students flinched with a few gasping at seeing the murder of one of their own again.

Yang was hugging Blake tightly and muttered how Glynda should've punched the General harder, or wished that she took her place. Blake rubbed her hand on her partner's back while whispering that it was ok, thinking that her other self deserved it for betraying her comrades, her friends.

**On a rooftop overlooking the Prewitt building, Oz and his SWAT team leaders are setting up sniper & scope positions on the edge. Inside the garage of the building, SWAT teams are standing beside the empty transport that the Joker hijacked earlier. The leader radioed in, "Sir, we've found our missing transport."**

The students smiled, knowing that the nightmare engulfing Vale will soon end. The adults though felt that something was off.

The villains frowned. They feel like something wasn't right with this picture, it was too easy. There had to be a plan for this, the Joker just wouldn't _not_ have one. He predicted almost every move the heroes took, there's no he couldn't predict this one.

**Back to the rooftop, Oz looks at the SWAT leader after hearing the report. "Then we have a hostage situation."**

The heroes were now afraid for those hostages. The villains though were indifferent to those people's situation.

Cinder narrowed her eyes, 'What are you really planning?' She knew that a hostage situation would be what most people would do, herself included, to keep the authorities away, but she felt that this was just _too_ normal for the Joker. She kept her thought to herself however, wishing to just wait and see what the man was planning.

**They turned to look across at the large windows of the Prewitt Building. The Joker's men, in crude, homemade clown masks are clearly visible with automatic weapons in hand. One of the snipers looked through his scope and shouted "I got hostages!"**

**The two look through his scope. Crouched deeper in the room were patients, doctors, and nurses, huddled in small groups in fear.**

Now she was even more suspicious, "Why would you allow your men to be so visibly seen for Oz's forces?" she whispered, earning her subordinates' attention. She knew that doing something like this was plain idiotic on his part, so why would he do something like?

Salem, Raven, Vernal, Neo, and Emerald were of a similar mind. Though the rest of the villains thought that the Joker just didn't think this one through. 'Probably too busy thinking of the plan with the ferries.'

Most of the heroes were too caught up in seeing all those people crouching in fear with guns directed towards them to think of anything else.

Yang and Coco glared at the clowns. The former even grumbling "Come on, take the shot already." to the snipers.

Ruby was anxious, hoping that Oz or the Batman would come in and rescue those people.

**Oz narrowed his eyes, "It's a shooting gallery. Why'd he choose a spot with such big windows?"**

**A voice from behind him says "He likes the view." He turns around to see Batman there. The man then gestures towards the view of the ferries.**

**The SWAT leader turns and lays out his plan, "We have clear shots on five clowns. Snipers take them out, smash the windows, one team rappels in, another moves in by the stairwells. Two or three casualties, max."**

**Oz doesn't even hesitate. "Let's do it."**

Most of the heroes cheered them on, not happy with the casual remark over the loss of life but accepting that it was for the best. The adults nodded solemnly, knowing that that was the best they could hope for.

The group who was reading deeply into this were skeptical that it would be that easy.

**Batman shakes his head, "It's not that simple. With the Joker, it never is."**

The group nodded their heads, glad that someone called it out and were satisfied at being right.

Now the cheers turned silent, thinking it over in their heads and realizing that Batman was right. 'Since when was it ever easy with that clown?' was the common thought.

**Oz glares at him "What's simple," he starts, pointing to the marooned boats, "is that every second we don't take him, those people on the ferries get closer to blowing each other up!"**

**Batman shakes his head and says resolutely, That won't happen." Oz, losing his patience, shouts "Then he'll blow them both up! There's no time," he turns to his SWAT leader, "we have to go in now"**

**Batman wasn't giving up, knowing that this was too suspicious of the Joker. "There's always a catch with him"**

**Oz turns his head back to him, "That's why we can't wait," turning his head forward, he continues sadly, "we can't keep playing his games."**

The teachers were stuck on the matter. If they didn't move quickly, then those on the boats would be ever closer to being blown up; on the other hand if they proceed with the plan, then who knows what the Joker planned for those snipers and the SWAT teams closing in on his position.

The students were in a similar position, but their lack of experience had them leaning towards them moving in to save the hostages quickly and stop the Joker from blowing up the boats

The villains smirked, thinking that either way, people's lives were in danger of being snuffed out.

The villainesses thought that this was still not the full extent of the Joker's plan. Yes, they conceded that if the heroes do nothing, then those on the ships will die; but if they do move in, then the Joker would be surrounded with no way out. They all thought the same thing, 'Just what is your contingency plan for when they do come after you?'

**Batman turns around, "I need five minutes. Alone."**

**Oz didn't like that plan, shouting as he fully turns around. "No, there's no time!" He then pulls out his gun, much to the shock of everyone, "We have clear shots!"**

**Batman turns back in mild surprise as the SWAT's watch on. "James' in there with them. We have to save James!" Batman then turns and leaps off the building. "I have to save James." He turns to the SWAT Leader, "Get ready."**

By this point, James finally woke up, in immense pain. He tries to get up and head back to his seat, but is forced to head elsewhere when he sees Oz, Glynda, and Salem all glaring daggers at him, the later with murderous intent. He looks around, only to see that most of the seats were already taken. His pride was too much for him to swallow in asking Jack for another seat, so he went to sit in the only chair remaining.

Watts turned when he felt the couch he was sitting on shift, and was shocked to see the General who kicked him out of Atlas sitting next to him. The two glared at each other, then proceeded to look at the screen and pretended that their 'neighbor' didn't exist.

**We briefly cut to Batman opening his cape, and soars across the gulf between the two buildings, before going back to Oz as he puts his weapon away. Curses softly, he turns to the SWAT leader. "Two minutes. Then you breach." The man nods, and the two look to the other building.**

**Outside the Prewitt building, Batman lands against the glass two floors below. He then taps his commlink, "Adrian. I need picture." He says softly, peering inside.**

**In the lab, Adrian hits a few keys. "You've got POV on alpha channel, omni on beta."**

**Back to the building, smoked glass eyepieces slip down over Batman's eye holes. The view switches over to his sonar POV. The layers of the building dissolve, levels of transparency pulsing rhythmically. Batman can now see the people inside the building**

The students were mystified by the imagery, Penny was wondering if she could have something similar installed in her optic network. "Ooh, pretty." Nora and Ruby whispered, their partners couldn't help but nod.

The adults were thinking over how useful this technology would be for hunting Grimm easier, finding people trapped in debris quicker, and capturing criminals faster.

Said criminals felt a shiver in their spines.

**Inside the building's penthouse, the Joker is standing by the window, looking out at his handiwork. Roman's dogs who are nearby start barking. He smiles.**

Those who's others joined him were confused and disheartened that they weren't with him.

**With Batman, he reaches into his utility belt, and sprays some plastic onto the glass, much to the audience's bewilderment (Mercury: "Is he vandalizing that window?"), pauses as he lets it harden, then punches the window.**

**Which breaks quietly as the pieces stick to the laminate, and he slips inside.**

Now the tables have turned, with the criminals thinking of what they could do with that tech while the adults shivered.

**Inside, Batman's eyes glow white as he uses his sonar to look through the corner, where an armed clown is leaning against it. The view turning to show the clown wearing a brown vest over a torn white shirt, with a collar spiking up behind her neck, maroon-colored pants with the right side rolled up to her thigh, and** **brown boots with dark brown knee guards.**

Vernal crossed her arms, grumbling that she was not with _her_ man, but also because she was going to be the first to be taken out.

**Outside on top the roof, a six man SWAT team prepares to rappel, checking over their equipment for a final inspection. Inside, at a stairwell, another team moves up the stairs.**

**On the rooftop overlooking the building, Oz's scroll starts ringing. He takes it out and answers it once he sees who it is, "Hello?" Someone's voice is briefly heard, but the words are all jumbled up, "Salem, calm down."**

**"_He has the kids!_" Then James' voice is heard, "_Hello, Oz_."**

Salem started growling like the Grimm she commands, scaring all those who heard it, and levels a terrifying glare at where the General is sitting, eyes glowing red when she sees just who he's sitting next to.

The two feel the glare baring deeply at them and very slowly turns to see who it was. Once they see Salem's glare, made more terrifying due to the glowing red eyes in the darkened room, the two in a moment of panic hugged each other in near paralyzing fear. The hug didn't make the feeling go away, if anything the feeling got even worse somehow when Oz turned to stare furiously at them.

**Ozpin stops, "James?" When he sees his men start to look at him, he steps back to have more privacy. "What the hell's going on?" he asks softly.**

**The man's voice is heard in an calm tone, "_You're about to know what my suffering is really like._" Oz looks across at the Prewitt penthouse, his voice no longer quiet. "Where are you? Where's my family?!"**

**James's tone turns ominous, "_Where my family died_." Then call ended. Oz's heart froze in fear, and he looks at the SWAT leader, pale in the face.**

Salem and Ozpin were about to go and _murder_ that man for the clear threat to their children, despite how impossible that act would go, before ropes and chains wrapped around the two to keep them in their seats.

Jack sighed in relief at his quick actions. He knew that once they realized trying to go for the James onscreen was stupid, they would turn to the one with them. while Oz would simply beat the crap out of him, no doubt breaking quite a few bones in the process, Salem just wouldn't stop there and kill the man in a fit of rage. He couldn't have that, he just finished cleaning up the mess he made last time and wasn't looking forward to doing so again.

When he saw the two opening their mouths to scream/shout, he summoned some unbreakable cloth to cover those up as well.

Everyone was shocked by the sudden appearance of the ropes and chains, the feeling growing when they saw the two gagged. Some wanted to help them, but the feeling of doom coming from Jack stopped them in their tracks.

Everyone just turned back to the screen, a few with blushes on their faces at the sight *cough* Blake *cough* Glynda *cough* Cinder *cough* (AN: "You need a lozenge there buddy?"), and continued with the viewing.

**The SWAT leader turns to his radio and shouts "Red Team. Go!" as Oz quickly moves to the door off the roof.**

The parents were worried for the family's safety. Even Raven was a bit concerned, thinking of it being Yang. And now she wanted to beat the crap out of the General but stayed her hand, not wanting to end up like those two who she saw was still trying to break their bonds.

**Inside the building, Batman quietly moves and grabs the armed clown, dropping her silently. He goes to disarm her, but he sees that the weapon is duct-taped to her hands. He rips off the mask, and sees the frightened eyes, mouth duct-taped shut, of Lisa Lavender!**

The heroes gasp as they see not the face of one of the clowns, but of a woman who they knew was kidnapped. Then they all paled, remembering that they saw someone who did wear a similar outfit. Turning to her, they saw both Vernal and Raven jaw dropped.

Ruby gulped, pointing to the screen, "G-Guys, i-if Lisa is t-there, then where did _that_ lady," pointing to Vernal "go?" No one had an answer to that.

The villains were just as surprised. They thought that they would see a clown not a hostage.

Then Raven, Vernal, Cinder, Neo, and Salem all smirked. 'So that's your plan.' They thought, figuring out his plan.

Raven was the one who voiced their findings, "I see now," earning the audience's attention, "he plans on having the hostages he captured be bullet-sponges while he has his people hide in plain sight to ambush the SWAT teams sent to 'rescue' them, using the clothing of said hostages and the cover of night to mask anything that may look suspicious to anyone looking inside the building." She and Vernal grinned at the brilliance of his plan, thinking of how much they need someone of his talents on their side.

Cinder smiled in satisfaction, "That's why he has those 'clowns' be perched so close to the windows. He _planned_ to have them spotted, because they aren't his men."

Neo clapped in sadistic delight at the deviousness of his mind, "What a deceitful tactic my love. I hope that the one from our universe can be as gifted as you."

Those who had a crush on him didn't notice how she addressed him.

The heroes stiffened in sheer terror, not thinking of that until they explained it.

The students felt sick, moments ago they thought of agreeing to the plan to breach the building and attacking the clowns, who are not clowns if Raven is correct. They would've agreed with the attack of hurting, maybe killing, those that they went to save. Yang felt like throwing up, she was just whispering for the snipers to take the shot back then.

Tyrian was crying tears of joy, hugging an unresponsive Hazel as he was saying "That's my boy!" over and over again in sheer pride.

**Batman looks up. Four more clowns line the windows, muffling as it seems that their mouths are gagged too, weapons duct-taped to their hands too. Several red dots are lining them up, signifying where the snipers intend to hit. The audience then sees that the 'patients' and 'doctors' are all carrying weapons hidden within their person. These are all Joker's men.**

Now the heroes were shaking, those women were right.

**Above them, he sees the SWAT team about to rappel from the rooftop. Looking down in the stairwells, two more teams are prepping to go up. He turns to the frightened Lisa, "Don't. Move." She nods, still terrified.**

**In the rooftop across from them, The snipers line up the clowns in their sights, terrifying the heroes ("Don't do!" "NO!" "It's a trap!"). In a stairwell, the SWAT team arrives at the fire exit. They then spread charges across the inner wall.**

**Back to the snipers, the SWAT Leader checks his watch. Looking at the time, he calls it. "Go! Go! Go!" A sniper zeroes in on a clown, but the clown disappears from his scope. The Sniper looks up, confused.**

The students were holding their breaths when it looked as though the sniper was about to shoot, but they sighed in relief when the 'clown' disappeared.

Everyone else were confused though. 'What just happened?'

**In the building, Batman yanks the clown along the floor using his grapple gun, with the clown taking down the two next to him as he fell. He then leaps for the nearest two as shots shatter the glass.**

**Back to the roof, the SWATS rappel down the building.**

**Meanwhile, the 'hostages' reel away from the blast and the SWAT team swoops in aiming weapons at the 'clowns'. The 'hostages' grin as the SWAT team tells them to get behind them and warn the 'clowns' to put the weapons down, prepping their own for the most opportune moment.**

The students pale and the teachers curse.

Nora was shouting "No, don't! Police guys, those guys are the criminals! Shoot them!" Ren and Pyrrha looked at her in shock. *Gasp* "Nora!" Pyrrha gasps in shock.

**Throwing percussion grenades, Batman takes out the SWAT team with fists and Batarangs. The last SWAT aims at Batman, and behind him a 'doctor' raises a shotgun. Behind the 'doctor', Batman sees through the wall at SWAT's preparing to breach. Batman runs and vaults over the SWAT and launches a two-foot kick into the 'doctor's' chest.**

"YEAH!" The students cheer as the teachers sigh in relief.

The villains were glaring at the scene. The Batman was ruining everything!

**In the stairwell, the SWATs blast out the wall. The team leader steps up to the hole, and the Bat-Grapple fires out, lodging in his Kevlar vest, and the man's yanked, screaming, through the door. The rest of his team look at each other.**

**Batman aims his grappler and fires, snagging the SWAT leader's vest, then grabs the two remaining 'clowns' and drops a floor below, using the now screaming man as a counterweight and a battering ram to the two 'hostages' nearby.**

**The remainder of the team steel themselves, and move in through the hole.**

**As they race inside they find Lisa, terrified, next to a pile of unconscious 'hostages'.**

**Batman, with the two people he has, rappel down, he swings them to the backs of a group of 'hostages', taking a few out while he gets up and punches one in the face, before blocking a blow from another, kicking that one away before returning to the first.**

**Just as the person was about to aim with a pistol that he took out, Batman forced him to aim low and fire away from him. He then punched the 'doctor' in the stomach, forcing him to bend over in pain, opening his back for an elbow to the spine, courtesy of Batman's armored self.**

**Seeing that the room was secure, he looked up as he sees the SWAT team rappel closer to his position.**

the team had reached their destination and fired at the windows, swinging in through the broken glass. **The team had had just enough time to swing in and assess the situation when Batman falls from the ceiling and starts weaving around with kicks and punches, throwing them away when they were unresponsive.**

**He then heard Adrian's voice through the link, "Look up." He did. "_You see that group on the floor above?_" He nods. "_They're waiting to ambush the SWAT team coming up the elevator_."**

The students were amazed by the meticulous planning the Joker did with securing his position, thanking Oum that Batman was there or else both the SWAT teams and the real hostages would be in serious trouble.

**Batman quickly whips out a gun-like device and starts firing at the support beams.**

Everyone was confused, they didn't see him carry that thing with him when he was fighting.

By this point, Oz and Salem had calmed down enough for the restraints to disappear.

**The view zooming in on one of them to show that what he fired wasn't bullets, but a tiny device covered in some kind of goo with a timer that seemed to be counting down.**

Now they were disgusted, that stuff looks like mucus. Though a few were curious what the objects were.

**Just then, several SWAT members came at him for another round.**

**Back to the ferries, the pilot of the passenger one finishes counting the votes. Reading the verdict, he announces "The tally is 196 votes against," He looks down in sadness, "340 votes for." The passengers sigh but avoid eye contact with each other. One of the civilians calls out "Well what are you waiting for? Do it!"**

The heroes hold their breath, hoping for them to wait just a bit longer.

**The pilot looks to the device, muttering "We're still here... that means they haven't killed us yet either."**

The students nod their heads, pleading Batman to hurry his ass up.

**In the criminal's side, the officers are in a phalanx in the corner, facing off against hundreds of prisoners. Several were pleading with them, one was heard shouting "Do you wanna die!" The Warden and his men look at each other, then at the clock.**

They see the time and start to heavily sweat. 'He's running out of time.'

**The elevator team reach their floor and immediately fans out to cover more ground. They see the group and aim their weapons at them.**

**Cutting to the lab briefly, Adrian sees this and informs Batman that there's trouble on the floor.**

**back to Batman's fight, he pulls out a rope from the SWAT that he just slammed into a support beam, thankfully not one that he fired a device at. He then went around and with one hand, clipped carabiners looped to the rope onto the webbing of vests from the remaining team as they went to engage.**

**As he grabbed another team member, the view switched to one of the objects just as it reached zero. The view returned to the fight as the devices exploded, taking the pillars down with them.**

Those who were curious, and several more, were surprised by the power behind those, now identified as, bombs. Some wanted them for 'research' purposes.

**It just so happens that the area that the pillars supported were what the SWAT team above was standing on, so when they exploded and fell they took the floor, and the team, with them. Batman then steps back, and picks up the officer who he just now realized was the team leader. The SWAT team, recovering from the thrashing they received, aims their weapons at him, telling him that it's over, and to let their leader go.**

**He does. He hurls the team leader out the window. The team watch him go with gaping expressions, then the rope pays out, and one by one they are yanked out of the window. One grabbed a small beam in his panic of not going out like the rest, but the weight was too much, tearing the beam right out of the ground as away he went.**

At first, the heroes were impressed with the skill he showed, then were worried when he got surrounded. they were then shocked that he just chucked a man out the window, Weiss and Winter were close to getting up and shouting what was wrong with him, when they saw that the line pulled the others out as well.

Velvet asks "Did he just killed those people?" in a terrified voice.

**Outside, a sniper watches through his scope as the six man SWAT team soars out of the window and drops. The line snaps taut and they hang, like a mountaineering team in crisis.**

The heroes sigh for the umpteenth time, laughing a bit when they see the team's predicament and how ridiculous it looks.

**He sees Batman, crouched in the broken window, securing the line. "What the hell's he doing?" He asks as he sees Batman looking right at the sniper, raises his grapple gun, and BAM. The Bat-Grapple smashes into the sniper's scope, and the rifle is yanked out of his hands.**

Many were impressed with the shot, though Ruby did pale since she herself uses a sniper rifle.

**Batman then races to a hole, reloading his grapple gun, and fires up a large shaft. He sails upwards.**

**Meanwhile, the SWAT teams goes trough the 'clowns' and 'hostages', and as they pull the masks off, they finally notice the differences. A notice over the radio is soon heard, "_Be advised: Clowns are hostages, Doctors are targets!_" We then see a 'doctor' get tackled by one of the SWAT members.**

The heroes were relieved that the police saw through the Joker's rouse as last. The villains though were angry that the officers saw through it, and were grumbling that the 'good' team was winning.

**In the main office area, the Joker hears his dogs barking again. Turning around, showing the audience the steel pipe in his left hand, he sees Batman walking from the shadows.**

**"Oh, you came." He grins, holding up the pipe in joy. "I'm so thrilled." Batman's voice is heard as the screen zooms in on the Joker, "Where's the detonator?" He sucks his teeth, then turns to face his dogs. Taking out and activating a switchblade, he flaps his right hand forward. "Go get him!"**

**The Dogs leap at Batman, one smashing into him but he directs its momentum over the edge (Ruby: "Doggie no!") and the others slam him into the ground.**

Several gulped at how he got taken down so easily. "No, bad dogs! No mauling Batman!" Nora shacks her index finger as she admonishes the dogs.

**Batman wrestles with the two remaining Rottweilers on the ground, a blinding mass of Batman, black fur and bared teeth. As this was going on, the Joker stalks over to the tangled mess.**

**Moving in to the mass, he starts hitting it with his knife and pipe, not caring if he hits the dogs but still miraculously missing them.**

**Back to the hostage situation, the SWAT teams are moving in on the remains of Joker's crew. In a weird move, none of the ones that the audience knows/recognize are in the fight.**

Those who's others are in his crew are confused. They thought that if they weren't with the Joker, then they would surely be with the other clowns, dressed up in doctor and nurse uniforms. They suddenly blushed as they imagined themselves being in those outfits, seeing their 'patient', checking to see whether he was alright or not and wondering if he needed something more 'physical'. The imaging from _that_ caused them to have nosebleeds and sultry smiles.

**Back to the prisoner boat, one of the prisoners, a tattooed version of Hazel Rainart, pushes his way to the front, silencing the others.**

The heroes feel dread well up inside, believing that he's working with the Joker. The villains believe so as well, and smirked in victory.

**He walks towards the Warden, who is sweating, and looks at the remote. "You don't wanna die. But you don't know how to take a life." He says softly. "Give it to me." The Warden looks down at the remote, then at the clock. Hazel points to the rest of the prisoners with his restrained hands, "These men will kill you and take it, anyway. Give it to me, you can tell people I took it by force." The warden looks temped.**

Some shout out, "Don't listen to him, it's a trap!" Others refute it, saying "Do it, it's so not a trap!"

**Hazel looks kindly to the Warden, "give it to me and I'll do what you should have done ten minutes ago."**

**In the other ferry, the pilot looks at the remote in his hands. "I voted for it. Same as most of you. Doesn't seem right that we should all die..."**

**Someone calls out from the back. "So do it!"**

"Oh Gods." Some of the students whisper in despair, thinking that the Joker will win.

**The pilot shakes his head, "I didn't say I'd do it. Don't forget. We're still here. They still haven't killed us yet." He sets the remote down on the box again the front of the lounge. The other passengers and guardsmen stare at it...**

**One minute left.**

**The businessman stands up, and walks over and picks it up. "No one wants to get their hands dirty. Fine. I'll do it." He stares hard at the pilot, "Those men on that boat made their choices. They chose to murder and steal." Shaking his head, he continues. "It makes no sense for us to die, too."**

**He looks at the other passengers. No one makes eye contact.**

The villains smirked, seeing proof of the Joker being proven right.

**Back to the prison ferry, the Warden slowly hands Hazel the remote.**

The heroes gasp, and the villains cheer.

**Hazel looks at it, looks at the Warden in the eye... and then tosses the remote out the window. The Warden, prisoners and officers are stunned.**

Now it was reversed. The heroes cheer, and the villains gasp. Salem even looks disappointingly at the Hazel with them. He bows his head in apology, thanking whoever was watching over him that he wasn't subjected to her terrifying glare.

**Hazel meanwhile, turns and goes to sit back down, content that he did what the warden couldn't.**

**Back to the fight; under the constant beating from Joker, and the bites from the dogs, Batman manages to kick the Joker away. He proceeded to chuck the dogs down the shaft as well. He barely had the time to stand back up when the Joker jabs his pipe into Batman's ribs, sending him towards an open net where he rips it off its place and gets tangled in them. The Joker then slams the pipe into his knees, sending him back to the ground.**

**As he goes to sit on top of him, the Joker remarks "Oh all the old, familiar places." before stabbing him in the neck. Batman recoils in pain, but manages to get him off.**

The heroes gasped, with the sisters hoping that he was ok.

**Batman gets up again, and looks around, his lenses flashing erratically showing that whatever Joker hit, it only affected the tech and nothing else, which caused some relief. In the lenses' POV, it shows the floor flashing in and out if view, before they turn off, leaving Batman blind.**

**In the lab, Adrian tells him to stand by as he tries restarting the imaging.**

**The lenses flash again, the POV showing how disorienting the images are, before finally stabilizing. Just as Joker's smiling face comes straight into focus.**

That image startled many of them, temporarily feeling as if the Joker was heading for them instead.

**The Joker swings his pipe like a batter with his bat, launching an injured Batman back through the window, glass flying, and landing on the ledge. The Joker then sits down on him, kicking out a wooden brace holding up the steel frame as he passes it. Batman's arms fly up as it comes crashing down onto his neck, saved by his protective gauntlets. Batman grunts as the Joker leans onto the steel beam.**

Many of the heroes gasp as Batman is contained, thinking of all the trapped people on the boats and since the passengers on the civilian boat voted to blow up the other, his plan could still work.

The villains though smirked as they reached the same conclusion.

**The Joker looks to Batman and says, "You know, we really should stop this fighting, we're going to miss the fireworks."**

**Batman, struggling to keep the beam from crushing his neck, growls out "There won't be any fireworks."**

**Joker, not listening, looks out onto the harbor and gestures to the boats in anticipation, "And here, we, go."**

Everyone tenses up, it was do or die here, and they awaited the results.

**In the civilian side, the businessman stares at the remote in his hands, inching towards the switch. Finally reaching a decision, he lowers his hand, and places the device back inside the box.**

His actions had the heroes all cheer in happiness, while the villains grumbled. Cinder called out to them, "Not so fast, remember he still has his own detonator." That made the festive mood come crashing down. "And the only one to stop him is trapped under his heel." She finishes with a vindictive smile. Now the heroes were back in panic mode.

**He goes back to his seat and sits down, bowing his head as another civilian pats him on the back, all are now waiting to die. The clock strikes midnight.**

**Back to the two, the Joker narrows his eyes, looking back to a clock mounted on a wall. It reads twelve o'clock. Batman says "What were you hoping to prove?" The Joker smiles, seeing the time.**

Everyone didn't know how to make of his smile, but it was probably so that he would get the 'honor' of blowing the boats up himself.

**Batman continues, "That deep down, everyone's as ugly as you?" The Joker looks back to the ferries, narrowing his eyes at them and tossing his pipe away in 'frustration'. "**You're alone.**" He finishes.**

Those in his crew glare at Batman. Neo growls and thinks, 'He's not alone, you ass! He's got us!' She would've shouted, but she didn't want to cause a scene and potentially tipping of her enemies.

**In the ferries, the passengers and criminals brace for the explosion. When nothing happened they look at the clock, confused. It shows that a minute has passed.**

**back to the two,** **The Joker ****gazes at the non-blown up boats and rolls his eyes, muttering "Can't rely on anyone these days." Looking down to the pinned Dark Knight, "You gotta do everything yourself, don't we?" The Joker reaches inside his coat pocket and takes out a remote identical to the ones that are on the boats. "That's ok, I always come prepared."**

The villains smirk at the remark, while the heroes pale at seeing the detonator.

**The Joker starts arming the remote, looking to the boats again, "It's a funny world we live in…"**

**He pauses for a bit, smiles, then looks towards Batman and points to his face, "Speaking of which, brother (1), you know how I got these scars?" Batman looks up at him, confused by the random way he addressed him as.**

**"No." He growls as he repositions his gauntlet, "But I know how you get these!" Batman's blades fire out of his gauntlet, nailing the Joker in the chest and arm. He staggers back with a gasp and slight groan. Batman, freed, leaps forward, and kicks him over the edge.**

"JAUNE!" Most cry out in alarm as they watch him sail towards him protentional death.

**The Joker laughs as he falls, enjoying the ride.**

**Something suddenly grabs his leg, and he jerks to a stop, he looks at what caught him and thus ruining his fun, seeing it to be Batman's grapple. The Joker sighs as he looks to the ground.**

Those same people were relieved that he lived. Tyrian placed a hand to his chest as he tried to calm down his beating heart.

**Batman is then seen hauling his ass up. The Joker comes up, groaning. Either from the pain of being lifted by a leg over several stories after abruptly stopping, or the fact that he was upside-down the entire time and no doubt has a lot of blood rushing to his brain, is anyone's guess.**

**The Joker is slowly spinning in a circle before stopping in front of Batman, *Groan*"You. You just couldn't let me go, could you?" Batman doesn't say anything and just ties up the line.**

**"I guess this is what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object." He points to Batman as the view angles itself so that when it looks to the Joker he is 'right-side up', "You truly are incorruptible, aren't you?" The Joker laughs a bit. "You won't kill me out of some misplaced sense of self-righteousness..." He snorts.**

So did the villains.

"…**and I won't kill you, because you're too much fun." He grins at the end of that sentence.**

Now everyone was confused. "Uh," Ruby started, "wasn't his whole job supposed to be to kill him?" Many murmured in agreement, not getting what his angle is.

Blake rubbed the back of her head, "Maybe since the ones that hired him already paid him, and they are all dead, he doesn't want to anymore?" No one really liked that answer, being too normal of one for the Joker's taste, but forced to accept it when a better one wasn't said.

"**I think that the both of us are destined to be doing this forever."**

**Batman glares at him, slightly panting from exertion. "You'll be in a padded cell, forever" he growls. The joker immediately responds with "Maybe we can share one."**

**A chuckle while he plays around with his situation, "Heh. You know that they'll need to double up, the rate this city's inhabitants are losing their minds..." Batman wasn't having it, pointing to Vale behind them. "This city just showed you, that it's full of people, ready to believe in good."**

The students cheer as the teachers nod, satisfied that the Joker was wrong.

**The Joker just looks up at him, a twinkle in his eye.**

**He raises an index finger, "Until, their spirit breaks completely." He grins, "Until they find out what I did with the best of them... Until they get a good look at the REAL James Ironwood, huh, and all the heroic things _he's_ done."**

The heroes pale, remembering all the things that James did onscreen. The students were shaking in fear, tears in their eyes as they recalled how angry he was.

The villains though, were having a field day. Cinder chuckled, "It seems when in defeat, he can still leave the field a winner."

Roman smirked, "And forgive me if I'm wrong but," looking to the headmaster "isn't good old Jimmy with your family right now, Headmaster?"

Salem and Ozpin pale in fear at the madman with their little bundles of joy. They moved to stand up again, but the restraints came back, gag and all.

**He wheezes a laugh before gesturing towards the ferries, "Then those criminals back there will go right back to the streets, and Vale will understand the true nature of heroism."**

**He notices Batman's growing look of horror and raised an eyebrow, "You didn't actually think I'd risk losing the battle for the soul of Vale, in a fist fight with you?" He points to him with both his arms as he looks disappointedly at him.**

Cinder smirks as those who want him, and those who _want_ him, are near salivating at the twist. She, Vernal, Neo, and even Emerald and Raven, sport atomic blushes as they shift in their seats. Salem rose her eyebrows in surprise by the amount of contingency plans he enacted. The one with the General happened a few days before, so to plan around that one is impressive.

The students all gape, they couldn't believe that he planned this. Weiss was gripping the sides of her chair in fear, "He wanted James to fall. He wanted him do his dirty work and then be the proof he needed for Vale to succumb to his corruption." Her friends and classmates were shaking in fear as well.

"Yang," Ruby whimpered, hugging her sister for protection, "I'm scared." She hugged her sister back for the same reasons. "We're all scared Ruby, we're all scared."

**He then shakes his head, "Noo. You need, an ace in the hole."** **Raising a finger 'up', "Mine's Jimmy~."**

Qrow flinches at the nickname that he usually uses for the man being thrown out like that.

**Batman whispers in despair, "What did you do?", almost begging in his tone.**

**The Joker grins, "I took Vale's White Knight, and I… brought him down to our level. It wasn't hard." Batman's look of horror grows, as did those in the hero side. "You see madness, as you know, is, like gravity~." He swings his arms in a circular motion, before reaching into his pocket and grabbing something, then thrusting his arms forwards, tossing an object to him. "All it takes, is a little push." Joker laughs, seeing Batman take the object to better look at it.**

**It was a pair of glasses, one of its lenses cracked, and the tips and pads melted. It was Glynda's glasses.**

The villains were laughing at the sheer looks of horror that the heroes were exhibiting.

**He gets up and runs away, the Joker's laughter following, mocking, him as he leaves. The view switches to a close up of the Joker's face as the SWAT's arrived to take him away, he looks to the audience and laughs even harder, looking to Glynda and James the longest, "HAHAHAHAHA!"**

The two in question were shivering in fear, not liking how he looked at them like that. Glynda was soon being comforted by her friends, minus Ozpin for obvious reasons, while James received nothing but a cold wind gently whipping through him courtesy of Jack.

**END**

**My word, now THAT, took forever! Sorry for the wait, meant to post this up yesterday, but was stuck in traffic for SEVERAL hours and was too tired to do so when I came home. Also, yeah, I stopped before the conclusion. That will have to wait because , and this chapter is long enough as it is. R&R and see you next time, peace!**

**1\. There, a hint to The Joker, without actually mentioning it. Sorry, but again, never watched it so I did the best I could with what I got.**


	12. Why So Serious? Pt 11

**Chapter 10: "Why So Serious?" Pt. 10**

**Finally, the end of The Dark Knight! Woo! Man, it's been a long time coming, and I know you guys are waiting so onto the reviews!**

**ArcticKnight13: Yes it was. I won't be doing the franchise though. I know that many would love for me to do a Deadpool one, but a LOT of other people did this already, and the full movie version too. I just feel like I can't compare personally. This was just a shoutout to all their great work really. I also only wrote it as a gag and meant to delete it afterwards, but it was just too funny for me to do that so I left it there. I'll see what I can do though.**

**the Composcreator: I am not, though someone did offer to help me with Kamen Rider since they have more knowledge about it more than I do (which is basically nothing).**

**RWBYCU: Yes he will be, only a bit different with the backstory.**

**Jaunepool: Wwwhhyyy? Now I can't stop thinking about it. *Sigh* I'll see what I can do, but just so you know if I do this, that it won't be for a LONG time. Still got my own schedule to keep up.**

**Guest: Oh, you are going to be so surprised by what I got planned for the next few chapters!**

**WearyCurmudgeon: Oh boy, where to start? Well, got the problems fixed now, sorry about that. Now for the light side coming together, I agree but it may be a bit tricky for them. Remember, most of them are prideful and wouldn't wish to share, while Cinder is the boss of the other two, giving her the advantage (plus, we may see Raven and Vernal join due to what they'll see soon). Now, who said only one survived? There was some 'divine' intervention that saved them; here's a hint, look up the names that I used, one of them is a major hint. It's also really only a matter of them not knowing where she went after the explosion, not amnesia. In the story after the next, I will hint at it a bit more, along with MAJOR clues to Jaune's past. That bit should hopefully explain the lack of aura as well as the parents wanting to keep him from harm. As for Saphron, well she could've been trained, at least enough to defend herself. I simply refuse to believe that a family known for having a history of warriors would not try to train their children in defense (it's also what I'll be going with for his past). I did read that story, it was badass.  
**

**jocoleman2017: I do, but not a lot. You see, some of the work that people are suggesting are stuff that I've never seen before; and I'd prefer to not do them, than to try and ultimately make a shitty job of it in the end.**

**Stratos263: Oh yeah, they are. And that will only be heightened come next chapter.**

**UnlawfulGentleman: Hell yeah he did! His performance was awesome, I felt a rush from him being DA extraordinaire, I was rooting for the guy, and when he went to psycho killer I was surprised, and I knew that he be Two face anyway! Man, nothing would replace that acting; not the animated series, and certainly not from the one-that-shall-not-be-named.**

**Phoenix Champion: No you're right, it's just that when Gordon said that Harvey murdered two cops, only for me to later find out that Ramirez lived pissed me off. Same with a lot of my friends when they found out. She ain't getting off that easy here, plus since it's Blake playing her. I wanted her to see a version of herself become corrupted for trying to save someone she cares for, similar to how she almost became when she chose to stay with the White Fang for so long.**

**warrior of six blades: Thank you for the kind words. Yeah my idea for letting the feelings linger is for a very specific reason. I won't spoil it though, it'll come soon enough, though if I were James, I would stay away from everyone for awhile. Also, you're right the officer did live, but I never really liked that scene since I, and a LOT of my friends, always believed that she died from that pistol-whip. Once we found out she lived, we were not happy. She isn't getting a free pass here either. Lastly, no worries, I'm a huge fan too. I am going to do an Iron Man one but I am going to use Jacques because I'm also doing The Avengers, and I need all the main/useful characters that I can get my hands on, there's not that much in the RWBY-verse and I'm scraping the barrel as it is. Planning for Weiss to be Pepper due to the child they eventually have; and Rhodey is going to be Ren for both the best friend bit, and because Nora is playing Falcon and I want to mess with those two when they see the Airport scene where Nora ducks and inadvertently has Ren paralyzed from the waist down. Thanks for the loyalty, really appreciate it!**

**Let's do this!**

**Disclaimer in the prologue.**

After calming Glynda from that horrifying and heart-wrenching moment, they retuned to the viewing.

**The screen opens up to outside a burnt warehouse, the same one Glynda died in.**

The sight of that place caused a shiver to emerge from the hero side.

**There, a car is seen pulling up before Oz gets out, gun drawn. He looks around for any sign of trouble before quickly making his way into the blackened wreck of a building. Inside the husk, he peers into the darkness, "James?" he whispers. No reply. He makes his way deeper, silently going up the stairs.**

**In the second floor, he spots Salem and their four children huddled together, the latter four gagged with tape.**

Oz and Salem, once again freed by this point, seethed at the sight of their children treated like that, noticing the looks of fear plastered on their innocent little faces with their mother trying to keep them safe.

The other teachers couldn't help but feel saddened by the sight while some of the students started to cry at seeing the fear that the children are showing.

**Ozpin quickly runs towards them, not seeing Salem shaking her head.**

**CRACK! James, moving from his hiding spot of a nearby pillar, cracks Oz over the head with his gun.**

Many winced at the loud CRACK sound from the blow to the head.

**Salem gasped in fear, watching her husband go down and tearing up once she saw some blood drizzling from the headwound. The girls screamed as best they could, wanting to go and get the bad man away from their daddy.**

Salem, not looking away from the screen, addressed her ex with an unholy growl. "Oz, your other better get m-these children away from _that_ man, or else I will be forced to destroy _this_ one." She warned, pointing to the General sitting in the audience while trying to keep the fear for her children away from her voice.

James started to sweat in terror, praying that the one onscreen won't do anything stupid. The fear only grew once he felt Glynda and Ozpin staring daggers at him for causing such fear in those innocent little girls. 'It's not me!'

Tai meanwhile held his own children close, much to their embarrassment, as he pictured tiny versions of them along with his late wife in that position. The thought so horrifying for him that he started to whisper "I love you" repeatedly while gently rocking back and forth as he closed his eyes.

Yang and Ruby were blushing like crazy while Weiss and Winter looked on jealously. "Daaaaad!" The former pair of sisters groaned out while the latter pair thought 'lucky'.

**James then disarms Oz, and rolls him over. James then turns to look at the enormous hole in the floor and tosses the weapon down it.**

**As he looks at the hole, the view switches to where it only shows his normal side. "This is where they brought her, Oz." He says in a dead voice. "After your people handed her over. This is where they bound her. This is where she suffered." He turns a bit to look at him, still hiding the other half of his face in the shadows, "This is where she died."**

The heroes all shuddered at the reminder.

Glynda was gulping heavily to keep the bile from rising up, witnessing her 'friend' become twisted by a clown version of one of her students and threatening this once happy family.

**Oz, from the floor, said "I know. I was here. Trying to save her." James turns, revealing his dark side to the world. The daughters whimpered from seeing the horrible sight again, inching closer to their mommy's embrace as she whispered for them to close their eyes.**

Salem could only growl more as her red eyes glowed, the shadows underneath her dress starting to warp much to her faction's growing fear.

**He looked at Oz in contempt, "But you didn't, did you?"**

**Oz shook his head in regret, "I couldn't." But James narrowed his eye, he wasn't going to have that for an answer.**

**Gritting his teeth, he growled, "Yes, you could've." He pointed his gun towards his own chest, "If you'd listened to me. If you'd stood up against corruption instead of doing your deal with the devil."**

**Oz yells at him, imploring him to listen to reason, "I was trying to fight the mob!" James snarled at him as he points his gun at Oz and moves towards him. "Don't you dare. You wouldn't dare try to justify yourself if you knew what I'd lost."**

James nodded at first, agreeing with his other self, only to shrink when he heard Salem growl at him again.

The other villains started to slowly scoot away from their leader as quietly as they could.

**James looks at the family, "Have you ever had to talk to the person you love most?" He looks to the still down Oz. "Tell them it's going to be all right, when you know it's not?" His eyes turn a bit misty, showing some humanity left, before his expression steeled, "Well... You're about to find out what that feels like."**

The heroes felt their hearts freeze, Oz, Tai, and Qrow looked especially horrified at the implied threat; the latter joining in the now mutual family hug. Meanwhile, the villains were shaking in fear by the killing intent wafting from the unknown mother.

James felt like shitting himself as he was feeling all that hate directed towards him.

**He points to his good eye, "Then you'll be able to look me in the eye and tell me you're sorry." James turns, and steps over to Salem who starts whimpering, and crouching down to her level, places the gun to her temple.**

For the first time in a long time, Ozpin felt fear _for_ his ex. He knows that that is not _his_ wife, but the shock from seeing her past self, uncorrupted and with their now alive children, had been eased away and caused a resurgence of memories for his past love; and now these feelings that he'd repressed and nearly forgotten about for so long had resurfaced.

And with those feelings came a hatred for the man that is currently threatening her with a bullet to the brain...

James, who was afraid of what his other would do since his actions would cause _him_ possible harm, had just pissed himself in fear when he felt Oz's killing intent match the Grimm Queen for some bizarre reason.

**Salem closes her eyes, holding her babies closer. Oz reaches out with one arm, "James. Put the gun down." He shakes his head, "You're not going to hurt my family."**

**James looks back, and nods. ****"No," he starts, "just the person you love most." He cocks his gun, "So is it your wife?"**

Oz and Salem tensed.

**Oz desperately tries to get him to put the gun down, raising his hand in a pleading gesture. James then moves the gun to point at Oz's little girls. "Please, James..."**

Now they, along with the rest of the heroes, were gasping at the gun lowering towards one of the now crying children.

**James moves to little Oma, and brushes the hair out of the girl's eyes with the muzzle.**

**Oz snaps. "Goddamit, stop pointing that gun at my family!"**

Ozpin gripped the edge of his seat in an attempt to calm his growing animosity.

**James smirked at the outburst, "We have a winner." He then pulls the girl away from his mother, much to their despair.**

Oz couldn't take it anymore, and to the shock of everyone, got up from his chair and ran towards the General with a shout of pure rage, dodging the restraints that popped out as he did so. Only Jack's quick full body tackle saved the now pale Atlassian from his wrath.

His actions also caused Salem to pause in her attempt to keep her promise of murdering the General herself. His almost unconscious actions also served to have her blush a bit, seeing how protective he still is of their family and remembering why she fell in love with him in the first place.

**"No!" Salem begs, stretching an arm briefly for her child, "Oz stop him! Don't let him take her!" Oma was struggling as best she could, muffling her objections as she tried kicking her way out of his grip, reaching out to her mommy. Her siblings were trying to leave their mommy's embrace and rescue their big sister, but Salem quickly withdrew her arm to hold them tightly as to not lose them too.**

Oz tried hard to get the god off of him, clawing away to reach the one who threatened his little girl, as Jack used his right palm to muffle any shouts he would've made. But Jack just got up, still holding the pissed off father, and brought him back to the slack jawed hero section, letting the restraints do their job in securing him.

The audience was shocked by the headmaster's actions, but once they heard the mother's pleas, they returned to the heartbreaking moment.

The teachers were terrified for the girl, hoping that James wouldn't do what they think he will.

The students were all itching to go over there and kick that psycho version of the General's ass.

Raven and Vernal were shocked by Ozpin's actions, and were largely unaffected by the General's threat of harming the child, only thinking that the Joker's plan was _really_ bearing fruit.

The villains though were rooted in their seats, fear completely paralyzing them to the point where it was difficult to even breath. Why you may ask? Well, that would be Salem.

The mother was stewing in her anger from seeing her family threatened, only stopping from doing anything due to Ozpin's earlier actions, and her potent bloodlust was starting to cause breathing problems for her subordinates. But all that changed after seeing her eldest daughter taken from her past self's protective arms and threatened with a gun. She howled in rage as she went to tear the General apart. The restraints, much faster this time, grabbed her and wrapped her up like a cocoon where all that was visible was the top part of her head, showing her apocalyptic eyes to the world.

Her screaming catching the attention of the audience as they viewed her in shock, thinking of how similar the action is to the headmaster's but not knowing why. They suddenly grew worried when the restraints started to show cracks.

**James walks Oma past Oz to the edge of the burnt floor, her attempts at escaping caused many in the audience to tear up.**

**Oz reached to the two with his right arm, "I'm sorry James! For everything! But, please. Please don't hurt my daughter."**

**James rubs Oma's head, but turns his head when police sires and barking dogs are heard. Outside the warehouse, cop cars descend on the building. Cops getting out of their vehicles and setting up a perimeter.**

The sight of the cops caused many to relax a bit in their seats, thinking that with the area becoming surrounded that James would have no choice but to surrender. Salem had similar thoughts, and so let go of her anger, her subordinates sighing in relief.

**Back to the second floor, James looks at Oz furiously. "You brought your cops here?"**

**Oz shakes his head and raises his palm in a calming gesture, "All they know is there's a situation. They don't know who, or what." He shakes his head, "They're just creating a perimeter."**

**James leans his head forwards, glaring at the man. "You think I want to escape from this?!" Using his gun to point to his brunt face, "There is no escape from this!"**

Those who relaxed tensed up again, the immortal parents narrowing their eyes as they tried to escape their bonds again and causing their faction members to start to worry again.

**James then squeezes the gun a little tighter against the little girl's neck, causing her to whimper a bit. But just then, a new voice is heard. "You don't want to hurt the girl, James." The man turns and sees Batman stepping out of the shadows.**

Now the two relaxed again, seeing Batman there and knowing that he'll rescue their little girl.

**James shakes his head, "It's not about what I want. It's about what's fair!"**

The shout from the last word, and the accompanying echo, caused many to jump in their seats.

**He points his gun to Oz, then to Batman, then to the outside world. "You thought we could be decent men, in an indecent time!" He looks between the two like a cornered animal. "You thought we could lead by example. That the rules could be bent but not break, that they would protect us..." He shakes his head, "well you were wrong."**

**Batman starts walking slowly to James as he continues his speech. "The world is cruel." He paused in his speech to show his coin.**

The sight of that coin made many gulp, remembering all the other times he used that thing, and how almost every time it was used, someone died. The immortal parents struggled harder, having come to the same conclusion.

**"And the only morality in a cruel world is chance." He glares at Batman, "Unbiased." He turns his gaze to Ozpin, "Unprejudiced." He turns back to Batman with a growl, "Fair."**

**He looks at Batman, "His girl's got the same chance She had." He turns to Oz, "Fifty-fifty."**

Glynda couldn't take it anymore. Turning her head to the side, she vomited onto the floor. The sight of seeing James falling so far as to murder an innocent child, and all in her memory no less, it was too much.

Jack grumbled as he went to clean his floors _again_.

**Batman steps closer, desperate, trying to get through to him. "What happened to Glynda wasn't chance. _We_ decided to act. We three." Ozpin nods, starting to tear up from the guilt. "We knew the risks and we acted as one. We are all responsible for the consequences."**

**James looks at Batman. Pleading. "Then why was it me, who was the only one who lost everything?"**

James gazed deeply at the screen, desperately hoping for an answer as well.

**Batman looks into James' eyes. Emotional. He shakes his head, "It wasn't."**

James clenched his fists, 'The Joker chose me out of all of you. Why?'

**James, furious, shouts "The Joker chose me!" And Batman immediately responds with "Because you were the best of us!" This caused both James's to stop and widen their eyes. "He wanted to prove that even someone as good, as you, could fall."**

**James glares at Batman, defeated.** **In a bitter tone, he says "…And he was right."**

Seeing his defeated posture caused many of the heroes to lower their heads in despair. The villains cautiously smirked, wanting to celebrate, but their survival instants were telling them that doing so would not be in their best interest at the moment.

Raven and Vernal just sat back, internally commending the clown for tearing down such a strong warrior of the light so easily.

Batman glares at James, "You're the one pointing the gun, James. So point it, at the people responsible. We all acted as one. Ozpin. Me… And you." James is listening, the wheels in his deranged mind turning.

**He looks between the two. "Fair enough." James eases his grip on the girl, showing the coin once more. "You first." He then flips the coin and watches it's journey, bfore catching it and seeing that it was tails. He turns back to Batman, points the gun at him, and shoots.**

Many heroes gasp, not expecting James to follow through with the coin toss. Weiss and Winter started to cry. "BROTHER!"

**Batman collapses to the ground, clutching his gut.**

The sight of him falling had the sisters place hands over their mouths to stop anymore screaming as they held onto each other in mourning.

The rest of the heroes could only look on in defeat, seeing Batman fall nearly destroyed them. Though James did feel a little better at the sight, he still bowed his head in respect.

Again, the villains wanted to celebrate, but Salem, seeing the one person who could've saved her baby fall, started acting up again.

**The girls flinched as they saw Batman fall in despair, Salem holding her three daughters closer as she cries silently. The crazed man then cocks the gun again and points it at his own head as he looks to Oz, "My turn."**

The heroes widen their eyes.

"What is he doing?" Ruby asks in shock.

James nods, seeing his other's plan, and whispers "He's dealing with one of the people who caused Glynda's death in the only way that is fair."

The Tribe members could only smirk at how easily the man wants to kill himself.

**He flips the coin. He watches it again, and once he catches it, he sees that it landed on heads. He looks a little disappointed, pointing his gun away from himself. Finally, he points the gun back at Ozpin's daughter.**

Everyone tenses again.

**Oz tries to reason with him again, "You're right, James. Glynda's death was my fault." Reaching out to his little girl, "P...P-Please d-don't punish her... Please punish me."**

Salem started tearing up, seeing her old love Ozma in Ozpin's place. 'No. Not again, please.'

**James nods, "I'm about to." He looks down to Oma, seeing her start tearing up as she looks at her papa desperately. He then looks back to Oz, "Tell your daughter it's going to be all right, Oz." He nods to the man. "Lie. Like I lied." Oz looks up at him, pained.**

The sight had many tear up as families and teammates hugged each other in comfort, knowing that the odds of the girl surviving was not in her favor.

Ozpin and Salem silently cried as their daughter is moments away from dying again.

**Oz then locks eyes with his daughter. "It's going to be all right, sweetie." Oma nods, blinking her tears away. Wanting to be strong for her papa and show that it was alright.**

The students and teachers could only look away, not wishing to see what would come next.

Raven and Vernal looked at the girl with respect, seeing her act strong in the face of death despite her young age. 'She would've been a fine addition to the Tribe.'

The immortal parents couldn't look away, not wanting to sully their daughter's last act. 'I love you.' The two thought at the same time as they look at their brave child in pride.

**James flips the coin one final time. His eyes follow the coin's assent, many in the audience close their eyes, before Batman hurls himself at James and the girl. Salem screams "NOO!"**

The surprise action caused those who still remained watching the screen to gasp, causing the rest to look back once they heard the distinct lack of gunfire.

**All three of them vanish over the edge. The view shifts briefly to James' coin, spinning on the floor at the edge of the hole before it stops, heads. Oz, horrified, runs to the edge and peers down.**

Everyone leans forwards, suspense building as they await to see what became of the three.

**He sees James lying at the bottom of the hole, his neck broken.**

The heroes flinch at the sight of his dead body, with the General grumbling a bit at seeing the man his other shot still alive, but hoping that the girl survived as the coin did come up heads.

The villains silently celebrates the death of one of the 'good guys', feeling a bit cheated by the survival of the Batman and needed something to feel better.

**Then his daughter swings into view, hanging from Batman, who is holding onto a joist with all his strength.**

The heroes all celebrate, hugs of delight from the students all around. Weiss and Winter cry in relief at seeing their little brother still alive.

Ozpin and Salem finally calms down, the restraints going away once they 'felt' that they wouldn't go all 'Mama & Papa Bear' on the General's ass.

**Ozpin quickly reaches down to grab Oma, hauling her up with batman's help. The girl, after safely on the floor, immediately takes the tape off her mouth and races towards her mother and sisters. Salem kissing her head and her siblings hugging her tightly in relief after taking their own tape off, whispering "Thank you" repeatedly to Batman for her safe return.**

The sight brought many smiles to the parents.

**However, in his efforts to raise the girl up, Batman's grip on the piece of wood slips and he falls.**

The fall cuts the celebration short as they witness the drop in horror.

**Dropping, and smashing through protruding wood and pipes, Batman lands hard near James. Oz looks back to see Batman's unmoving body. He then races down the stairs, rushing over to his family's savior.**

**Oma looks over the edge, asking with fear in her voice, "Papa, is he okay?" Ozpin crouches at Batman's side. He gets his scroll out to call for a medic, but Batman quickly grabs his arm.**

The students were praying for his health, the Schnee's especially, and when they saw him move they all sighed in relief.

**He then staggers to his feet. Oz looks up at him, "Thank you." But Batman just looks away from him, "You don't have to thank me."**

**Oz shakes his head as he stands up. "Yes, I do."**

Ozpin and Salem both nod in agreement. 'I really do.'

**The two then stares down at James' body with grave expressions. "The Joker won."**

his admittance caused the heroes to watch with pained expressions, knowing that he was right.

The villains smirked in victory, especially Tyrian who, like Hazel, went to record Ozpin's speech. Well, most of them celebrated.

Salem just sighs, feeling like she should be proud but just isn't. She _should_ be angry, after all his actions directly led to this roller-coaster of events in the first place. But, she just couldn't bring it upon herself to feel any sort of animosity towards the mad clown. She didn't know what to feel at the moment.

**He stares down at scarred side of James Ironwood. "James' prosecution, everything he fought for... Everything Glynda died for... Undone."**

His dejected words were like daggers in the hearts of the heroes and a fine wine to the villains. In fact, Cinder even requested some wine for Neo, Emerald, and herself to share in a toast.

**Oz tears up again, "Whatever chance Vale had... whatever chance you gave us of fixing our city... dies with James' reputation." He looks like a broken man now, "We bet it all on him." the tears begin to fall, "The Joker took the best of us and tore him down."**

The heroes silently cried at seeing the city's hope die with the man. They knew that after the public hears about what he's done, everything that he'd worked so hard for will be destroyed. All those prisoners will be free to reek havoc upon the city once more, and with the Joker having total control of the mobs, he'll likely be free soon as well. He truly has won.

**"People will lose all hope." Oz finishes as he placed a hand over his mouth to stop himself from saying anything else.**

**But Batman shakes his head, "No. They won't." He looks at Ozpin before looking back to the body, "They must never know what he did."**

**Oz looks incredulously at him. "Five dead? Two of them cops? You can't sweep that up."**

**Batman moves closer to James. "But the Joker cannot win." He crouches to James' body. "Vale needs its true hero." Gently, he turns James' head so the good side of his face is up. Oz looks from James' face to Batman, understanding what he meant.**

So did the teachers, both bandits, all the villains, and most of the students.

Oz looks imploringly at him. "No." he whispers.

**Batman gazes at James' body with regret, but with determination as well. "'You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.' I could do those things," he turns his head slightly to Oz, "because I'm not a hero, not like James." He gets up and faces Oz, "I killed those people. That's what I can be."**

His words caused the audience to gasp. For the students and teachers, it was shock mixed with despair at seeing how this brave man would willingly sacrifice himself for the greater good.

For the Schnee sisters, it was shock like the others, but it was mixed with pride. They see a man that would do whatever it took to save the soul of that city, they could only hope that their own brother would grow up to be like his counterpart.

For Oz, it made him remember all the people who sacrificed their loves in the name of his shadow war with his ex-wife. The thought of all those people made him look down in grief.

James looked on, eyes wide when he heard Batman referencing him an willing to take the blow. It made him look down in regret, feeling as if _he_ was the one who failed. Then his eyes narrowed, thinking of who was the real culprit, and remembering how he made mention that his counterpart could end up like him. 'Not if I have anything to say about it. I will protect my world from his madness.' He looked back at the screen in determination, clenching his fists tightly. 'No matter what.'

For the villains, they gasped in anger. They know what he's planning, and they are not happy about it. Tyrian glared at Batman, 'No!' he thinks as he snarls at him, 'Don't you dare take my boy's victory away from him!'

The women who were in the middle of their celebrations, could only look on, breaking their glass's as they tighten their hands around them and glaring harshly at the man for taking 'their' victory away.

Hazel grunts angrily as he looks away, though when he sees Ozpin look down in 'defeat', he smirks and decides to record that.

Raven and Vernal could only look on with slacked jaws, seeing the Joker's victory slip away. 'NO!' Vernal shouts in her head. 'My man's plans are falling apart!' She clenched her teeth as she glares at the one responsible. 'Curse you Batman! Curse you to Hell!'

**Oz looks angrily at him, "No, you can't! You're not!" Batman hands Gordon his scroll back and says "I'm whatever Vale needs me to be. Call it in."**

**The screen cuts to Ozpin standing at a podium at James' funeral. Behind him is a large photograph of James with no burns smiling. "...A hero. Not the hero we deserved, but the hero we needed. Nothing less than a knight. Shining..."**

**Oz's voice is heard over the speech, "They'll hunt you."**

**Batman's voice is heard afterwards, "You'll hunt me."**

**The screen then cuts to Ozpin on the roof of Vale Central, axe in hand, watched by an assortment of cops and reporters. Batman's voice continues, "You'll condemn me, set the dogs on me..." Oz takes the axe to the bat symbol, each hit causing sparks from the frame before the symbol finally crashes down, the sight made the students tear up. "...because it's what needs to happen."**

**It then cuts to Klein burning the envelope holding the letter from Glynda, the action caused many to cry out for him to stop. "Because sometimes the truth isn't good enough..."**

**We now cut to Vernal, Emerald, the twins, and Neo being escorted by Sun and Neptune into a Bullhead with Sage being the pilot, the sight had many glaring at them escaping justice. They sit down and watch as the doors close on them, the audience not noticing how they're all rubbing their stomachs. "…sometimes, people deserve more."**

**Cutting to inside the lab, Adrian is typing his name into the sonar machine. He hits 'Enter' and watches the machine's monitors flashing red. The machine then emits sparks as it dies, many were saddened by the loss of such a device. Adrian smiles to himself, making Penny smile as she sees her father happy, before he turns and walks away, the machine sparking behind him in a final death knell. "...Sometimes people deserve, to have their faith, rewarded."**

**Cutting back to the warehouse, Batman hurries off, limping into the shadows with Ozpin watching in sorrow.**

**Oma is soon heard shouting, "Batman?!" The view switches to her as she is seen running down the stairs to join her daddy. She looks to the man who saved her, shouting out to him "Batman!" But she sees that he doesn't stop running.**

**She turns to her daddy, "Why's he running, papa?" Oz just stares after Batman, and with a heavy heart says "Because we have to chase him..." This caused her eyes to widen and look back to where she saw Batman last.**

**With the cops, the leader calls it in and orders his men to storm the building. The dogs being let go of their leashes as they get the scent and pull away from their handlers, following the shadow into the stacks of shipping containers with the cops following them...**

"Run Whitley!" Weiss and Winter both shout out urgently, not wishing for him to be caught after all the abuse he's suffered that day. Many of their friends/coworkers adding to the shout in their own ways.

**Back to the father and daughter, Salem and the other girls joins them. Oma looks at her daddy, confused. "But he didn't do anything wrong." Ozpin nods, the sound of the dogs becoming louder and more ferocious.**

**Their second youngest daughter, Vivien (1), looks at her daddy in disbelief. "Why, papa? Why?!" With Salem looking at him in sadness.**

**Oz, still looking to where Batman left, says "Because he's the hero Vale deserves, but not the one it needs right now. So we'll hunt him." Cutting to the Batman he's seen lurching between shipping containers, stumbling, bleeding, before finally making it to the bat-pod. Ozpin's voice is heard over him. "... because he can take it. Because he's not our hero..." The bat-pod streaks through Vale's underground streets, the Batman's cape fluttering behind him like a wraith. "... he's a silent guardian, a watchful protector... " The Batman races up a ramp into a blinding light ahead. "A Dark Knight." The screen turns dark.**

The ceiling lights brightens, and the screen ripples as the red orb is slowly ejected. Jack is quick to take it before it could fall and turns around to see the reactions of Oz's final speech.

The students were crying, with Weiss and Winter looking on in pride.

The teachers weren't much better, with Ozpin looking as prideful as the sisters. 'It was an honor to have been in the presence of such a hero.'

"And thus ends the tragic tale of Vale's true savior." Jack says as goes to the shelf and placing the orb back, before picking up a blue one.

The heroes nodded, sad of the outcome. "Indeed, that kid was a true hero." Qrow said in respect with the others gave various acknowledgements.

Winter nods, "Indeed, I am proud of my brother doing what was right in the end."

Jack looks back at them confused, "Wait, what? What are you talking about?" He asks.

Weiss looks at him confused, saying "What do mean?" She points to the orb, "My brother saved that city."

Jack blinks in shock, before understanding crosses his expression, and he rubs the back of his head as he chuckles awkwardly, "Yeeaaah, about that..."

Glynda, still trying to get the tears from her eyes, glares at him. "What?" She asks in a demanding tone.

Jack coughs a bit into his free fist, "Well, I briefly checked the history of this world, and by going off of what I've seen, I'm afraid that Joker, although a lying psychopath, is actually the true savior of this world."

The heroes look on in shock, the villains weren't much better. "WHAAAAAT?!"

Jack, after cleaning out his ears with a picky from the loud shout, nods and says, "Oh yeah." Placing the blue orb in his pocket, and taking out the red one again, he goes back to the screen and places it back inside.

Clearing his throat and summoning his tablet, he turns to face the gob smacked audience, "You see, before the Joker came along, Vale was a mess." He turns the screen on, showing a picture of the mob bosses in their meetings, "Organized crime ran rampant," imputing a few commands, the screen splits into multiple mugshots of many, many people. Two of which were recognized as Adam Taurus and Blake Belladonna, "and a majority of important city officials were wildly corrupt."

The shot of her other self, and Jack's label for her, Blake flinched back. Yang, who by now was free from her dad's hug, went to comfort her. The rest were wide-eyed at seeing the sheer amount of corrupt officials, there had to be hundreds of them at least.

Jack then shows a picture of Batman kicking ass, "The city even tolerated a renegade vigilante with no unknown fighting prowess who runs around wearing specialized armor and wielding _tons_ of advanced gadgets without asking just _how_ he got said experience, suit, or equipment."

No one could really argue that. The only reason Huntsmen weren't labeled as such was because they were licensed individuals, approved by all the 4 kingdoms, and officially taught in schools that regulated what they're being taught.

He then shows a picture of the fake Batman's. "Not only that, but the police's turning the other cheek for the man has caused many to take up the same cause." The view closes in on the weapons the people are using, "Only, with more deadly results."

The reminder of those people fighting crime with the intent to kill caused many to gulp. Raven nods, "That's true." Getting the audience's attention, "These people, now that I think about it, were acting no better then gang members. Killing those people with the excuse that they were doing the city a favor. That line of thinking is dangerous."

Jack nods, then turns to the rest, "And keep in mind, that the Batman has this rule of non-killing" The screen then shows Jacques being interrogated by Batman. "Now while this may be helpful in letting the police to have him continue what he's doing and endearing himself to the hearts and minds of Vale, well I think the asshole himself puts it best by saying:" The clip starts, **"Someone must know where he is." Jacques just looks up at him, sneering. In an ominous tone, he said "No one's gonna tell you anything. They're wise to your act, you got rules."** He pauses the clip, "The gangs, though afraid of Batman at first, now knows that he's predictable, his rules serve to shackle him, causing the enemy to get a step ahead. Not only that..."

Jack then replaces the clip with a picture of a bank filled with lien, "But because he only fights the hired tugs, he's barely making a dent with the bosses life blood. Their wealth."

The thieves nod in agreement. Roman pointing to the screen with a smirk, "Too true, that's why it took you heroes so long to catch me. You people kept going after my guys, and not the reason why they follow me around. It's even worse over there." He rubs his hands together as he stands up. "With their mass wealth, there would be no way for anyone to convict any of the higher level employees nor the employers."

Ruby could only look at him as her worldviews crumbled around her, not wishing to believe the words of this crook, but seeing the older Huntsmen nodding in begrudging agreement, she could only look down with tears in her eyes.

Cinder thinks back to what she saw of the Batman's actions, then smirks as she remembers an important detail. As Roman sits back down, she immediately gets up. "I just thought of something..." She said as Jack looks to her. "Can you put the scene where we see that world's version of Torchwick?" He nods and makes the scene start playing out. "Okay, now stop." The scene stops at the van opening up and Roman's dogs are seen. "There," she says, pointing at the mutts that would soon devour their former owner. "I can assume that that wasn't normal procedure before?"

Jack nods with a smirk, getting what she is hinting at. "You are correct, Ms. Fall." Turning back to the audience, "You see, Roman using dogs and bigger firepower is not typically what you'd see with drug deals, am I right?" Everyone nods. "Well, that's because it's not. What it is, is escalation of the criminals. The threat of Batman coming to kick their ass has forced the criminals to get more extreme in their behavior. More bodyguards, higher caliber weapons, _dogs_." He changes the scene to a picture of the Dark Knight, "And it's all thanks to the actions of batman."

He then shows a picture of Joker, "Now along comes the Joker and by the end of a _very_ short time, almost all organized crime was eliminated, many of the corrupt officials were imprisoned or dead, and the city's Vigilante problem even went into hiding for nearly a decade. This was _all_ part of Joker's masterfully executed plan."

Everyone had their jaws dropped.

Jack sees this and sighs, "Let me explain." he switches the screen to the bank heist scene, "The very first time we see Joker is during a robbery of a _mafia_ controlled bank, not for collecting the money, but to alert the gangs that their money is being actively tracked." He looks to everyone, "His heist then gets their accountant, Watts, to make off with the major crime families' collective money."

The name of her subordinate caused Salem to briefly glare at the man.

Jack points to the screen as the view shifts to a picture of a cargo hauler. "He uses this as an in to try to convince the leaders that Watts is going to squeal about their plans to Batman, unless they give him half their money to get rid of the Batman first. And guess what, it worked."

Jack switches to the scene where Watts is in his office in Atlas, getting kidnapped by Batman. "Watts runs to Atlas for protection, and yet batman goes over there and steals his ass to give him over to the cops, just like Joker predicted."

He pauses to see if the audience follows him. Then he switches to Watts in his holding cell, "Now Watts is in a 'safe' place. With the man now trapped behind bars, and the cops under the gangs' payroll watching over him, the Joker now has easy access to him at any time." The view switched to when the MCU is engulfed in flames, "Which he eventually does."

This caused many to widen their eyes, seeing the ingeniousness of the Joker's forward thinking. Raven speaks up, "And with Watts wishing to sing like a bird later on, the crime lords will know that he can't be trusted, so they would have no choice but to give in to the Joker's demands." Jack points to her and nods, "Exactly."

He then switches over to the Joker murdering Junior and Raven. "Now remember, he still has to murder those that could help keep those at the top safe from prison, meaning all the corrupt officials and mob bosses that he could get his hands on. Which he does so with glee." Seeing them die, as well as the other bosses, Ruby raised her hand like she was back at school. He points to her and asks "Yes Ruby?"

The girl stands up, and says "But wait, he was crying when he killed those people. Saying that Roman and Jacques forced him to use that weird gas on them." The mention of said gas caused many to shiver at the affects.

Jack nods, changing the scene to before the deed was done, "Correct Ruby, but look closely, do any of you notice anything off about this?" No one answers. He changes the screen to after the deaths, "How 'bout now?"

It was Blake who saw it first. "The new recruits to Joker's army." She said, gaining the attention of everyone. She points to the screen as both pictures are now in display, "Don't you see? The people who put on the masks heavily outnumbered Joker's men, and look. Their faces." The scene shifts to when they take off their masks, showing their horrified faces. "They are horrified," it changes to them showing anger, "and angry at the one who did this." The view switches to the guards looking to the Joker as he 'cries'. Blake narrows her eyes, "And the Joker shows 'regret' in using the gas..." her eyes widen, "while telling those people the names of the other remaining crime lords, ensuring that their wrath would be focused on them and gaining a loyal following as well as more soldiers once those survivors return to their hideouts and spread the word to their friends."

Her explanation had many to look at each other in shock, wondering how much of what the girl said was true, before looking back at Jack who was clapping his hands in approval. "Well done Blake. Also, look at this." The scene changes as it remains split, showing Joker smiling at the familiar container of the gas in one half, and the Joker in the car playing with the same container in the other half. "Does no one find it weird that if he was truly regretful in ever using that gas, that he would be so joyful with the manufacturing of it?"

Everyone looks at the screen, remembering how happy the Joker was in obtaining the compound. Ozpin says in a thoughtful way, "Yes, I do believe that he said that the small amount that his men created would be enough, I just never thought of what he planned on using it _for_."

Jack nods, then has the screen show James walking inside the observation room of the MCU, "Now James argued for insulating the remaining men at the top, planning on using their own self interests to use their wealth to save themselves and leaving their lower-level goons to their fate. This would in turn clean the streets of them, but the Joker knew that this won't work in the long-term."

The screen splits to show Batman, James, and the Joker. "Now at this point we have 3 men battling for Gotham's 'soul', as the Joker puts it, but James and Whitley are simply playing into the Joker's greater plan. This even extends to Joker's threats to destroy a hospital." He switches the screen to show the hospital blow up. "With Batman and Ozpin's help, the Joker manages to root out the two corrupt police officials that were in Oz's unit. James even kills them later on."

The reminder of her other's death had made Blake shiver again.

The screen switches over to Oz and Port shaking hands, commemorating the former's promotion. "Hell, Oz's promotion, too, did a major service to Vale. Remember the Joker's clapping during his promotion? The Joker believed in Ozpin, one of the few officers on the force who was truly incorruptible."

The fact that he believed in his other had Ozpin puffing his chest out in pride, before blinking in surprise from his action. 'Why did I do that?' He looked around, but sees that no one was paying attention to him. 'Good, no one saw that.'

Neo, shook her head and stood up, "While this _may_ be true, that still doesn't explain how he plans on toppling the Mob's control over the city."

But before Jack could respond, Ruby said "The tower of lien." She muttered. She then stood up again, "Remember the mountain of lien that the Joker turned into kindle?" The screen changes to show the money in question go up in flames. Pointing to the money, she says "Jack said that the Batman's main problem was that he couldn't really get close to harming the bosses wallets. But the Joker did." She looks at the scene, tears in her eyes, "He took half of all their money and set it aflame so that there would be no chance of them ever recovering it. And just like in the heist, he never did it for the money!"

Jack nods, "Correct, as the Joker said:" the scene plays out. **"It's not about money..." He pulls out his scroll "...It's about sending a message." The Joker turns to watch the towering flames, the muffled screams of Watts being vaguely heard. Joker starts dialing up a number, "Everything Burns."**

He points to the screen, "He simply wanted to send a message to everyone. That he was not a criminal, he isn't someone that couldn't be bought, or reasoned with. In fact, let's head to Klein's story about the man hiding in the woods, shall we?" The scene changes to the Bat bunker with Klein reminiscing about his time in the armed forces. **Klein follows him and looks at Whitley as he continues, "I was once in Wind Path. A long time ago." He began, regaining his friend's attention. "My friends and I were working, for the local government. They were trying to buy the loyalty of local tribal leaders. Bribing them with precious stones. But their caravans were being raided in a forest north of Mistral by a bandit. We were asked to take care of the problem, so we started looking for the stones. But after six months, we couldn't find anyone who had traded with him." **

Pointing to the screen as he pauses it, Jack looks to the audience. "His unit was using precious stones help the government bribe the tribe leaders. And yet, the man who steals them didn't use them for his benefit. What did he do with them?"

Weiss raised her hand, and Jack point to her. "He tossed them into a river." Jack nods, "Precisely, he tossed them away, because he didn't have any need for them. Just like the Joker, his story runs parallel with this man. But what you failed to see was that Klein completely glosses over why his unit was sent to find those stone. They were payment for bribing the leaders of local _tribes_, not _bandit camps._" The choice in words had many to pause as they sat in shock.

Going back to the burning cash, he points to the image, "In one move, he's almost bankrupted the gangs. Robbing them of the chance of getting that money back by selling him supplies."

Jack then switches back to the image of the armed vigilantes, "So now the Joker has a pretty clear path to getting rid of the Organized Crime and corrupt cop problems, but what about the Vigilante problem? Again, as we saw at the beginning, Batman's actions were inspiring other vigilantes, and as the older Huntsmen can attest to, society cannot stand when each man takes his own brand of justice." He points to the screen, "But as the Joker sees it, he needs to be stopped, but not killed."

The scene shifts over to James' funeral. "If he were killed, he would just be a martyr, and cause many others to take up his mantle, and as we've seen, they're not exactly prepared to handle the pressure. Of course, since James was a far better symbol for the city, he would make a far better martyr."

That revelation brought many to hold themselves in fear, seeing just deep the Joker's manipulation went. Emerald, Neo, and Vernal were especially taking it the worse, trying to reassure themselves that they were different, that the Joker loved them.

Jack, unknowing of the ladies' deteriorating minds, continued with his presentation. "He wanted James to feel the full pain of Glynda's death," the screen changes to where Joker is telling Batman the two addresses, "which is why he purposely tells Batman to go to the wrong address. He knows what Glynda's death would do to James' psychologically, and knowing Batman's identity, it would cloud his own judgment and cause him to make the wrong call."

He turns to face the audience as the scene changes to the Joker's final scene, "If the Joker really wanted James to be a villain, then he wouldn't have told Batman that he corrupted him at all, just wait for the newspapers to report on the family murder the next day." That made many cringe. "Batman would eventually have no choice but to kill James, knowing that this would break him psychologically, and also make him a villain, a true villain. The kind that abandons his own principles. Batman would have no choice but to disappear with his reputation forever tarnished."

The thought that the Joker planned all this was starting to scare everyone. The level of forward thinking, as well as expertly manipulating everyone into becoming pawns of his schemes, had many fear for if their own Jaune can be like this. Ozpin gulps, "It's like chess." he says softly, but the silence of the room had everyone hear him with clarity. "The Joker was always two steps ahead of everyone, 'I'm just ahead of the curve' as he puts it. And Mr. Arc..." He gulps again, "He's always had a knack for thinking up multi-layered plans during our school's war strategies, scoring top marks every time. Not to mention that he would normally beat me, _ME_, in chess. Something that no one else has _ever_ been able to do before." That admittance had many quaking in their seats in fear. Then they all remembered how the Joker hinted at how he was a version of Jaune, paling as they realized that their version was already close to becoming the Joker.

Jack nods, "Correct. Jaune, many Jaune's in fact, share similar traits. All it would take for any of them to fall would be One Bad Day."

Everyone shivers at his ominous words, but they quickly shake it off as he continues, "So, as we've seen, the mobs' treasury went up in smoke, their leaders dead and many of their low leveled guys in jail due to the Ironwood Act created in honor of the dead man. The city was safe and peaceful, and didn't need constant vigilante justice to keep it safe."

The scene changes to the scene with the boats, "Even the display with the two boats near the end only served to prove to the people of Vale that they wouldn't turn on each other." He switches to a picture of Hazel, "He proved that there was good even in the most supposedly despicable of Vale's inmates."

The audience gulps, remembering how the Joker smiled when he saw the time had passed the deadline.

The screen then shifts back to the Batman, Joker, and James. "In the end, Vale is saved. And it wasn't because of James," his picture grayed out, "who died too soon to do any good except being a martyr, not Batman," the same happening to him, "who was ostracized and treated like the criminal which a vigilante really is for 8 years. Vale was saved because the Joker had done what they failed in doing." The scene shifts to Adam and Blake getting shot, "He eliminated the corrupt police," then to the money pile on fire, "he destroyed the crime lords financially," switching to Hazel, "he uplifted Vale's spirit," then to Batman and the fake Batmen, "and he got rid of the flying pest that had been corrupting Vale ever since he declared himself it's protector."

The heroes all are shocked by these revelations, seeing how the joker manipulated everyone so flawlessly. The villains were disappointed at how good won this day; especially Tyrian, Cinder, and Neo. Salem though could only smile a bit in pride, sure Ozpin may have won in the end, but it was the Joker who allowed it to happen.

Ozpin, though proud as well, narrowed his eyes at a specific detail. "Jack," he says, getting his attention, "you said that Vale was safe for 8 years correct?" He nods. "If I may ask, what happened to have caused this peace to end?"

Jack sighed, but he smiles and plays a clip.

**The scene changes to a large, but nice and cozy home.**

The sight of the house caused many of the heroes to smile.

**Just then, a car pulls up in the driveway, and a figure steps out. The hair color revealing it to be Neo, but the clothes were completely different in that she's wearing a normal, white, business suit.**

The Neo here looked at her older counterpart, noticing how well she filled out over the years and smirking at how good she looks in that suit. Many of the other women grumbled at seeing her more developed form.

**She takes out a briefcase, and goes to the front door. There she takes her key and unlocks the door. Entering, she is immediately tackled by a blond with pink and brown streaks missile. She just barely had enough time to steady herself so that she didn't fall on the ground. She then looks down to see that what hit her was an 8-year-old girl with blond hair in twin ponytails, streaks of pink and brown on either side, and shiny blue eyes. She's wearing a sundress and sandals. The little bundle of joy looks up at her and smiles brightly, "Mommy!"**

If the little girl hitting her midsection didn't surprise her, then her use of the 'Mommy' title to address her sure as hell did. Opening and closing her mouth a few times, she eventually croaks out "M-Mommy?" Turning to Jack, "I-I'm a mom?" The man nods, shocking her even more, before she smiles as she notices the similarities between the girl and the man she's lusting after. "Hah!" She shouts as she leaps up from her seat in triumph, pointing a figure at a fuming Vernal, "Take that you troll! I was able to have my man's child before you!" The woman gritted her teeth as she glares jealously at her.

Emerald just looks down in sadness that she didn't get a chance for a bundle of her own.

Everyone else was just shocked that the Joker was able to procreate at all. The thought of that actually terrified more than a few. The heroes who held a crush for him were devastated.

Ozpin and Salem only looked at the girl with a mixture of wonderment and love for some odd reason, smiling at her look of joy.

**Neo smiles at her, "Now Lucy (2), what have I told you about running towards me like that?"**

**The little girl's smile grew, "Say 'I'm sorry' with an ice-cream pop!"**

**"Aaannd~?" Neo asks in a knowing tone. Lucy giggled, "I ate it!"**

Neo smiled at her daughter's love of ice-cream, seeing her act so similar to herself when she was young.

**Neo shook her head and lightly laughed, "Ok, let's go inside. Mommy's dead tired from work."**

That got her to blink a bit, wondering what career her other has. "Hey Jack?" "Yes" "What kind of job do I have?"

Jack smiles at her, "You landed a job as a psychiatrist at Vale's Arkham Asylum." Neo oohed at that, turning back to the screen.

**The two head inside, where they see Emerald watching TV with a little girl of a similar hair and skin color, but with blue eyes. She calls out, "Hey Emerald, hey Peridot (3)"**

At first, seeing her more mature self had her looking in awe, but the sight of her no doubt daughter caused Emerald to smile brightly as she lightly cooed at seeing her little girl.

Neo crossed her arms and grumbles a bit seeing that she wasn't the only one blessed with her man's child.

Vernal groaned, "Oh come on! Am I the only one who _didn't_ get knocked up?!" Her shout had Raven looking at her in slight shock, but the she, along with everyone else realized something important.

She then asks Jack, "How old is that girl exactly?" Jack shrugs and says "8." That had many to jaw drop. That meant that the Joker had sex and knocked up 2 different woman in similar time frames.

**Emerald waves back, not taking her eyes off the news. Peridot though, she looks to Neo and grins, "Hi auntie Neo."**

**Neo smiles, "Hello sweetie."**

Being called 'auntie' had Neo turning to putty, feeling like she could get used to that.

**Soon, footsteps from upstairs could be heard as someone rushes down the stairs. "Is auntie Neo back, sis?!"**

Emerald gasped in joy, "I have twins?!" Neo grumbled at how she was so lucky.

**A little girl, with blond hair but red eyes, is seen rushing down the stairs and seeing Neo, rushes to hug her. Neo laughs, "Hello Garnet (4)"**

Emerald squeals at the name of her second daughter.

**Just then, the door to the large backyard opens, and Vernal along with Melanie and Militia enters the living room in bikinis.**

Seeing her older self had made Vernal grin, knowing that she would surely have some spawn of her own. Though the longer hair did make her think how good it would look, and wondering how her man would like it.

**Neo turns around at the noise and smiles, "Hey girls!" The twins smiles and waves as they go to the kitchen to get something to eat while Vernal heads over to her.**

**"Hey Neo," she hugs her 'sister', "how was work?" Neo hugs back then steps back. "it was alright, busy day though. I'm hungry." She then looks around, trying to spot someone, "Where's Amber (5)?"**

**Vernal points behind her, "She's back inside the pool, swimming."**

Vernal blinks, "I named my baby after my mother?" She then smiles, 'That's sweet.'

**Neo giggles at that, knowing how much that girl loved to swim. Just then, the twins enter with snacks on a tray. "Lunch is served!" The two announce together.**

**Neo pumps her fist up in celebration, "Yes!"**

**As she moves to get some of the food, she asks "So where are your girls?"**

Yang tilts her head to the side, "Wait, are all of Vomit boy's kids girls here?"

Jack just nods, "Well yeah, what'd you expect for a guy with seven sisters?

The amount of siblings had many to shutter at the thought of his suffering, Qrow raised his flask in the air in salute to the death of the boy's manliness.

Ozpin and Salem, again for no reason, became very proud of the Joker's ability to have so many children. Tyrian was as well, thinking 'THAT'S MY BOY!' while seeing all the babes that his son knocked up.

**Miltia responded with, "Well, Linda and Leslie (6) are sleeping right now." And Melanie takes over for her, "And Mary-Kate and Ashley (7) are in the pool with their sister." Neo nods, and takes a sandwich.**

"So many kids..." Tai whispers, thinking. "How are they able to afford all this?"

Jack turns to the father of two (AN: "Hah! Only two. Jauney was able to have 8 in this viewing alone!"), and says "Well, remember that the Joker only burned half of the mob's money, where do you think the other half went?" As Tai moved to answer him, he continues with "And keep in mind that all the supplies we've seen him use are all relatively cheap in this world." Tai closed his mouth.

As a way to pock the bear a bit, Jack smirked. "And to think," catching everyone's attention, "They were all impregnated in the same day." That bit of info caused many of the men to have their brains short-circuit, Ozpin and Tyrian crying tears of pride.

Salem nodded in pride.

The other ladies either blushed from the Joker's supposed stamina, or looked on in disgust over the lewd behavior.

The different expressions made Jack chuckle.

**"Uh, guys? You might want to take a look at this." Emerald says, pointing to the news as it shows a man with a weird mask on.**

**Everyone finds a seat, and Emerald turns the volume up, "Step forward, those who would serve! For an army will be raised." The mothers look to each other in worry as the man on top of a brown colored Batmobile is seen rallying the men who had recently escaped Black Gate Prison. "The powerful will be ripped from their decadent nests, and cast out into the cold world that we know and endure. Courts will be convened. Spoils, will be enjoyed! Blood will be shed!**" The children huddle together in fear. "**The police will survive, as they learn to serve true justice. This great city... it will endure. Vale, will survive."**

Jack points to the screen as the heroes watch on in horror at seeing the madness begin again, "That, Ozma, is what happened to Vale's peace."

**Neo glares at the man on TV, seeing how he's ruining her love's plans. "Girls," she says, earning their attention, "I think it's time we come out of retirement." She gets up from her seat, and turns to the group. "Vernal," pointing to the woman, "contact Sun, get the gang together." She nods and goes for her scroll.**

**Neo turns to the twins, "Miltia, Melanie. You two go contact our spies within the military, try to see how we can enter Vale." The two salute and head to do their assigned duty.**

**"Emerald, contact Ilia, I don't want our girls left alone and starve." Neo says. The woman nods and goes to contact their favorite sitter, Ilia Amitola, to see if she was free for a few days.**

"Smart," Glynda says, missing Blake's widening of her eyes at hearing her friend from the White Fang. "No parent should leave their children alone."

Ozpin and Salem nod in agreement, not wanting all those children left with no protection.

Neo was starry-eyed at seeing her other take charge. Roman chuckling beside her. Emerald didn't care, seeing how she took orders from Cinder already. Vernal didn't like it though.

**Peridot looks to her auntie, "What about you, auntie Neo? What will you do?"**

**Neo smirked down at her, "Isn't it obvious?" She turns to the man still being shown on TV with a predatory look. "I'm going to free your papa from the boring place." The screen turns black.**

The orb once again leaves the screen and Jack takes it to place it back on the shelf.

Hearing what she plans to do, the heroes paled, while the villains smirked.

Vernal, Neo, and Emerald silently cheers.

Weather for good or ill, this new masked asshole will rue the day he stepped foot in the Joker's city.

**END**

**YES! Finally done with Dark Knight, hope you liked all the Easter eggs and shout outs of the previous/upcoming Jokers! Woo! The last scene is sort of an amalgamation of Harley's vision from Suicide Squad, along with a news reel of Bane'****s speech at the end.**

**Note: I know that a lot of you guys are expecting me to do another movie right after this, but I'm planning on doing a few one-shots first so as to space things out more evenly. This will be a recurring theme by the way. The next chapter will be *drumroll*:**

**Crisis Core, Zack's Last Stand! All thanks should go to ****Soul23**** for giving me the necessary information (and writing the scenes)! Give a round of applause everyone, I couldn't have done it without him/her! Should be out in a week, this chapter really tired me out, plus I got finals to worry about. Hope you guys enjoy your day wherever you are, and catch you next time, peace!**

**1\. Vivien: Lady of the lake from Arthurian legends and stories. Thought it might fit.**

**2\. The name of Joker's and Harley's daughter.**

**3\. No Steven Universe reference, it was just a name for a green gemstone.**

**4\. Again, just a name for a red gemstone, not a reference.**

**5\. First name of Vernal's voice actress.**

**6\. Twin actresses, Terminator 2.**

**7\. If you were born in the 80's, you should know who these twins are.**


	13. Protect your Honor

**Chapter 12: "Protect your Honor... As SOLDIER!"**

**I'm back, from Outer Space! Woo, New Chapter people! Now, onto the reviews!**

**thegermankaiserreich: Thanks for the review, really had a tough time getting the Theory in there, but I really wanted to just fuck with their minds one more time. I also left it open-ended like that because I just wanted to tease. Seriously, almost all of the RWBY cast are dead right now, and I can't think of anyone else take the new cast's place. And if the immortal parents see that their other selves are no longer together, then that would shatter all the progress they had made so far. Also, with the way I wrote it, it would have the Joker certainly in Dark Knight Rises and the very thought of integrating him, not to mention his family, makes me sad :(  
**

**SsjHades: I already got a chapter for Star Wars. Trust me, you _will_ see Ozpin and Salem's reaction to Jaune fighting two god like beings, along with one's minions, and win.**

**WearyCurmudgeon: You know the funny part is that, my computer has all those things you listed for bold, in bold. I don't know why, I've even gone back and got the previous chapter's mistakes corrected but after I submitted it, it was still the same as before. At this point I give up; what happens, happens, no matter how much I want to tear my hair out. Well, I did say 'divine'. It wasn't the work of actual gods, but in the series ****that I've hinted at before, there are beings from a bygone era that can uplift others, saving them from death and leaving little trace of them behind, then would later bring them back to corporeal form at a much later time. They would not know where their parents are because one was killed and so has a different face, while the other is _long_ gone. I will at some point show the audience something that isn't really focused on Jaune so much, but will be important for the immortal couple to see and hopefully have them resolve their issues. Also, love the recommendation, read that a long time ago, so I'll see if I can ask him for permission. In the meantime, I got something else planned: Aang vs Ozai (Jaune vs Cinder)! This takes place at the Fall, so it's a possible scenario, and it ends with JaunexBlake because I want my Knightshade damnit, and because her parents will get to see the end. Imagine how crazy Pyrrha will get, plus the two sort of did attend Beacon with shady backgrounds (White Fang background/hidden Faunus heritage, and illegal transcripts), so they would have something to bond over.**

**UnlawfulGentleman: Yeah that was a, weird, time for comic book films to say the least. And it may not be as close as you'd think. In the Nolan-verse, Bane doesn't have Venom, while Joker-Jaune has his Laughing Gas, and a lot of it. Remember, no one ever really managed to stop his production, and he would undoubtedly have some stored away for a rainy day. Too bad I won't be following it up. Glad you liked it though, that chapter was a bitch and a half to make, and it makes me happy that people appreciated the hard work.**

**Greer123: Yes, he will. And that decision will turn to a hard distrust that will come back to bite him in the ass, I'll make sure of it.**

**HAIL KING DELIRIOUS: In the works.**

**Dream of a Dragon: _Was_ in the works. Stupid crash.**

**thegermankaiserreich: Glad you liked the Film Theory I placed there. I must regretfully inform you that I will not be continuing with the story. It's just that with all the new moving parts and players, the movie will bear almost no resemblance to how it was scripted. Plus, almost all of the cast of RWBY was used here, and so very dead; who will I get to play John Blake, oh I'm sorry, "Robin", Catwoman, Bane, weird cop who dressed up in his uniform and died, and Talia? So yeah, sorry but it's just not in the cards.**

**Jaune Stoppable: Got an episode in mind? If you give a strong case, I'll do it. Also, the cast will be the same as you requested. Don't mess with the mole rat.**

**King-Of-Gods: To be honest I really wanted to, but I thought that I would leave with him having all daughters as a hint to the different future scenarios. He'll be very hard pressed to get a son, the Arc genes are funny like that *cough* 7 sisters *cough* *cough* 4 daughters *cough*.**

**Valerious Lake: Logan's already on the table. As for Pirates the Caribbean, I just didn't know which to pick. 2's a good pick though. Yeah, 2 it is but it will be awhile.**

**Zathol: It's not that he _couldn't_ escape easily, he very well could, it's merely a matter of what's the point. With the Joker behind bars, there would be no need for the Batman to stick around, "I think you and I, are destined to do this forever." He wasn't kidding, if the Joker was free to do what he pleased, the Batman would continue to try and 'help' the city, thus undermining the whole point of his plans in the first place. And oh yeah, Joker isn't happy that someone's fucking everything up. "I _just_ saved this city, you miserable excuse for a Luchador!" But it won't be I who would continue this epic tale.**

**warrior of six blades: That was the plan! : ) It was a bit hard to get Oz's reaction down, so instead I just thought what _I_ would do if I sat next a version of a man holding my baby girl at gun point... It wasn't a very kind thought. Hehe, glad you enjoyed that.**

**redtornado1234: Thank you, that really means a lot. Glad you love my work.**

**Man, I got a LOT of positive feedback from you guys for the Joker Theory I put in the last chapter. Thank you all for the support, you guys really put a smile on my face. Now, without further ado, let's do this!**

**All credit for this story goes to Soul23.**

**IMPORTANT NOTE AT THE END, PLEASE READ!**

**Disclaimer in the prologue.**

After giving his guests some time to calm down after the mind break, some needed more time than others, Jack walked to one of the shelves to place the orb away for the new one.

Just then, a small flash of light engulfs a mannequin and once it fades, it shows the Joker's recent outfit from when he was suspended in midair, the mannequin itself was hunched over with a green wig and holding a machine gun in one hand and a switchblade in the other.

Everyone was shocked, but before a word could be uttered, another one of those portals appeared overhead, along with a large cushion underneath it for some reason. Screaming was soon heard before new peaople came through the portal and landed softly in the cushion.

The cushion inflated from the unexpected weight, but once it settled back, everyone saw the new arrivals.

To their surprise, it was a small family of two young women a small toddler.

The first woman has wavy, dirty blond hair and blue eyes, and is wearing an orange top with a beige vest, light brown trousers with orange stitches on each side, and dark brown boots. They could also see that she's wearing a wedding ring on her left hand and what appears to be a bootlace necklace around her neck.

The second woman has short dark brown hair and matching eyes, with red-rimmed glasses over them, and a smooth bang that goes down her forehead and in between her eyes. She's wearing a dark navy collar shirt with a light-blue cardigan, dark-gray jeans and red sneakers. Like the first, she has a wedding ring.

Last, but not least, is the admittedly adorable toddler. A very young boy, with short black hair and brown eyes. He's wearing a white and blue long-sleeved shirt with denim overalls, white socks, but no shoes (1). He was quickly picked up and was held in the arms of the blond as he clapped his hands and laughed from the cool ride.

His parents though, were worried.

The last thing they remembered was that they were all sitting down for a lovely meal together when these weird portals appeared out of nowhere underneath their seats and dropped them here, wherever 'here' was.

'Speaking of which,' they thought as they looked around, 'where did those chairs go?' CRASH. Everyone turned to the startling noise to see two adult chairs and one high chair land on a very pissed off, and hurt, James and Watts.

"...Okay." Jack said to get rid of the silence that now prevailed. Clearing his throat, he announced, "Ladies and Gentlemen, may I introduce this lovely family: Saphron, Terra, and Adrian;" Pointing to each one as he tell the audience their names, "The Cotta-Arc family!"

Everyone was shocked at seeing members of Jaune's family. The students were surprised, but that changed when Ruby rushed over to the confused couple. "Oh my gosh! Your last name is Arc? Are you guys Jaune's family?" She asks with sparkles in her silver eyes.

The blond nodded, shifting her son so as to get a firmer grip, and smiled at the cuteness that is Ruby. "Why yes, I'm his eldest sister. I'm Saphron, and this is my wife, Terra." Terra smiled and waved. "And this little guy is Adrian~. Say hello sweetie." Adrian looked at the new girl, smiled and waved, causing many Aww's to come from the students.

The heroes smiled happily at the picture perfect family.

Ozpin and Salem were reminiscing about their family. Remembering their daughters brought some tears to their eyes.

Tai thought back to how cute his daughters were when they were little, and hugged said daughters as he started to tear up from the cuteness.

"Gah!" Yang and Ruby chocked out as their dad hugged them a bit too tight for their comfort. 'Why?!'

Cinder though, smirked as she began scheming, 'Hmmm, if I integrate myself with this family, then I'll be one step closer at obtaining the young man for myself.' Aww, would you look at that, she's trying to cozy up to the family~.

She's not the only one, the villainesses thought the same thing, believing that if they can get the approval of these people, then what they saw with their others' family will come true for them as well.

Seeing how they needed to continue on, Jack summoned a love seat for the couple, and a large pen full of toys for Adrian. "Ok, ladies if you would please sit," he says, pointing to the new additions, "I will explain why you are here."

After setting her son down to play, and giggling as a small corgi slipped through the bars and started to play with him, Saphron joined her wife in their seat and awaited this explanation.

(10 minutes later.)

The two were shocked, not believing what they just heard. "So wait..." Terra gulped as she began looking around at all the orbs in the shelves, and shivering at the terrifying mannequin, "All these worlds, are centered around my brother-in-law?"

Jack nodded, "Yep!"

Saphron looked around her baby brother's friends, "And you've already saw a version of Jaune?" The heroes shivered at remembering that clown, and most only nodded. She blinked in surprise, "May we see him?"

The students got up and shouted "NO!"

Weiss, taking it upon herself to explain why, got up and went to the family. "You see, you would not like seeing that version of your brother, he was a complete...I'm not really sure, but he was certainly not sane of mind." She as about to label him as a villain, but then she remembered what Jack told them, so now she didn't know how to label him. Shacking her head she continued, "In either case, it wouldn't be good for this little guy to see his uncle like that~." She kind of got off track when she looked down at the cute scene of the baby petting Zwei, and cooing at how the two snuggled up.

"Yeah, speaking of that." Yang said, turning to Jack. "I think I owe you an apology." Her friends and family all gasped while Jack just stood there with an amused expression. "I guess Jaune can be a bad guy, sorry for doubting you." She then placed her hands together in a prayer, "just please, can we never see another villain-Jaune again?!" Now they were nodding frantically in agreement.

Saphron and Terra were just confused. Weiss' explanation hadn't really explained much, and now they were watching a group of people begging for something that they have to context to. Adrian thought they looked funny, but he was still content with petting the nice puppy.

Jack shook his head, much to the heroes' dread and the villains' delight. "Sorry, but if I were to do that, then I wouldn't have a story."

Blake rose an eyebrow, "What was that?"

Jack just waved his hand back and forth dismissably, "Don't worry about it." Her eyes narrowed, but he paid no mind. Instead, clearing his throat, he got out the blue orb again, "But now that that's done, let's move on shall we?"

Just then another portal appeared, much to Jack's frustration. To everyone else's confusion, this isn't accompanied by a large cushion. Out of this one came out Sienna Khan, Ilia Amitola, and Adam Taurus.

Before anyone could do anything, like the Atlas personnel arresting these people, Jack immediately had them wrapped up in binds. "Alright," he growled, looking up at the sky, "are there going to be anymore 'guests' coming to my domain?!"

Silence.

"Ok." Jack nods, taking a deep breath. "At least no one else is coming." (AN: "Oops, sorry, had to grab my popcorn." *Clears throat* "Don't count on it.") "Oh Us-damnit." He facepalmed.

Everyone was a bit wielded out by their host's erratic behavior, but the binds are sort of getting in the way of voicing their concerns.

Clapping his hands, Jack looked to the new batch, "Alright, I guess I need to explain some things."

(10 minutes later.)

After he explained everything, the binds retracted. Well, most of them. Adam's are still there, it's just his face that's free. "It's for everyone else's safety/comfort." Jack said after the genocidal maniac complained/threatened to be set free.

"Now, any questions, besides the trapped bull, from you new people?" Jack looked to the female White Fang, ignoring Blake's shivering form as she nervously glanced at her ex's trapped form, and James' and Winter's glaring.

Sienna raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms, "Why are _we_ here? Neither of us have even heard of this boy?" Ilia nodded her head in agreement.

Jack shrugged his shoulders. "Perhaps not _yet_, but there are timelines that you guys do meet up. Sometimes as enemies, others as friends," here he smirked, "And at times lovers."

The heroines and villainesses all narrowed their eyes at that last part. 'Great, even _more_ competition.'

Ilia gawked at this, while Sienna simply scoffed. "As if I would allow a human to touch me so intimately."

The god laughed. "Oh, you'd think that, but Jaune has a way of surpassing expectations." He smiles softly at the two, earning their attention. "In many of the universes that I've seen, you two were very clearly happy to be with him." This caused them to widen their eyes, though they were still skeptical. Especially Ilia, who didn't exactly fancy men, at least in _that_ way.

Jack then shakes his head, "But that's for another time, sadly."

He held up the orb for everyone to see. "Now, back to what I was about to show you guys," glaring briefly at the sky, "this world has a good Jaune-" Cues cheers from the students, sighs of relief from the teachers, and grumbles from most of the villains, "and this one had just finished fighting, and killing, the Brother Gods."

Now the various noises became gasps of shock.

Salem and Ozpin were frozen in place, thinking of how it should've been impossible for anyone to have accomplished such a feat. They never believed that such as outcome was possible, especially so soon. Relatively speaking of course.

The students were stunned. Their friend, the weakest of their group (AN: "Hah!"), was powerful enough to destroy the Brother Gods? Weiss began twitching, not willing to accept this reality. The ones with crushes were silently celebrating their man's accomplishment. Nora grinned and stood up, pumping a fist up and shouting "That our Fearless Leader!" with Ren trying to calm his partner down.

"Heh," chuckled Yang with a small blush as she crossed her arms and grinned, "not bad Vomit boy. Not bad."

The adults just found it hard to breath. A first year student with comparably less combat experience (AN: "Again, HAH!"), was able to defeat the Gods of legend? Winter wondered if their version was as powerful.

Glynda blushed in embarrassment. She never really had a good opinion of the boy, believing him to be too weak and inexperienced to attend Beacon. 'If he actually had the potential to challenge gods, then how come he's never showed it before? What did that say about my teaching methods? How well built would he be to do that?'... Her eyes widen as her blush got worse, 'Wait what?! Why did I think _that_?!'

Tai and Qrow had dropped jaws, both feeling a sense of inferiority by comparison.

James clenched his fists, 'How much of a threat is _this_ one?' His eyes narrowed, 'And how much of a potential threat is our version?'

Terra was congratulating her wife. Saphron smiled softy at her and looked to Jack, thinking 'To think that my baby bro would fulfill the Prophesy.' She looked to the sky and closed her eyes, 'Are you watching over him, Sacred Pillars?'

Adam glared, not believing that a _human_ could accomplish such a feat.

Sienna tilted her head, slightly impressed that this boy managed to do that, while Ilia gulped as she thought 'Such power, what kind of monster is he?'

Salem, after recovering from her shock, smirked wickedly. "Well now, isn't that interesting?" 'This one may prove even more useful than the last, certainly more trustworthy at the very least.'

Ozpin turned to glare at his ex-wife, "Don't you dare, Salem. I will not stand by and let you corrupt my student."

Salem turned to Oz, a smile on her face. "We shall see, Ozpin. We shall see." Ozpin just glared harder.

Jack then clears his throat, gaining their attention. "Now I won't be showing this part, but instead immediately after. This will start off with Jaune escaping from the Atlas military; along with his brother, Ren."

James immediately clenched his fists, thinking the worst of the two. He didn't voice his thoughts though, not wanting to earn the ire of Ozpin, and perhaps Salem, again so soon.

The heroes were shocked. Ozpin narrowed his gaze, wondering why those two needed to flee. 'What did you do James?'

Jaune's family was sad, wondering how he fell into this situation.

Ren narrowed his eyes as he thought of reasons why his leader, and brother in all but blood, and himself needed to flee. Nora raised her hand, and Jack nodded to her. Clearing her throat, she asked, "Why is Renny and Jaune-Jaune escaping from Atlas?"

Many of their friends were nodding, wanting to know the reason as well. Jack simply rubbed the back of his head with his free hand, "Well, after the battle Jaune became extremely weakened, fighting two godly entites will do that to you, and in this timeline both of them were considered property by the Atlas government." No one from the hero side were liking what he was saying, the students were glaring at the thought of their friends considered little more than possessions.

The White Fang members snarled at this, thinking of their species' past experience regarding that Kingdom.

Jack continued, his tone turning ominous, "And since the higher ups believed that the two were too strong, they had plans to kill the two." That had many up in arms.

The teachers and students all turned to James as he started to sweat. Even more so when Ozpin glared at his friend. "James," growled the Headmaster of Beacon, "why would Atlas wish to _murder_ my students?"

The man could only stutter out a reply, though through his fumbling, no one was able to understand him.

Again, it was Jack who saved his ass. "Yeah, James didn't issue the order," gaining everyone's attention, "nor did he have any knowledge of said order taking place."

He then went to place the orb to the screen, "Luckily, while still weakened, he had plenty of strength to get them both to a safe location in Vacuo."

The students sighed in relief. "But it won't be safe for very long..." Jack finished as the lights dimmed.

**The scene shows a desert and rocky landscape in the Vacuo desert. A bullhead is seen flying overhead.**

**Inside the cockpit are Neptune and Sun, both wearing black suits and headsets that have clear faced visors.**

"Wait, so are those two with Atlas?" Yang asked, hoping that that wasn't the case.

Jack shook his head, "No." This earned a few sighs of relief.

**Sun shakes his head, "They can't be serious. There's no way we'll be able to find two needles in a haystacks this size." He looks outside, referring to the large desert before them.**

**Neptune smirked as he proudly said, "Hey, there's no mission that's impossible for-"**

**"-Us, yeah, yeah, I hear you." Sun finished as he cut off his partner. The two turned their attention back to flying again.**

**"Also, someone apparently has something to give him." Neptune said. The scene changes to Weiss in an office as she was standing up and was looking out from the window. The view zooming over to the table with a container that said 'SEALED' with several letters inside.**

Weiss raised an eyebrow, wondering what her place in all this was.

**"Who, the target?" Sun asked. Neptune just gave a nod to him before turning back his attention to the front.**

**"So, we're couriers now. Delivering packages to fugitives huh?" Sun said with an amused expression on his face before facing forwards again. Soon a signal was heard through their headsets.**

**"Sun, Neptune. Got anything?" Blake said through the transmission.**

Blake raised an eyebrow while Ruby pouted that the team wasn't together.

**"We got nothing" Sun said.**

**"How about you?" Neptune asked.**

**"Likewise." Blake said through the transmission. "I'm heading to 235.5.10"**

**"Roger." Neptune said as the call ended.**

**"All right, let's get going." Sun said as the takes the control headed to helicopter to another direction.**

"These versions are certainly more professional than ours." Weiss noted, thinking back to their goofy behaviors back at Beacon. The other students who knew the partners from Vacuo nodded.

**Soon the scene changed to show a yellow pickup car in a separate area. The car than started its engine before it drove off, showing ****a tired Jaune with a sleeping Ren over his shoulders. The young man slowly settles Ren on an outcropping of rocks. As he props him up, everyone could tell that Jaune was tired by the quickening of his breath, and the shaking of his shoulders.**

**Both were wearing clothes that consists of sleeveless turtle-neck sweaters with shoulder guards, baggy pants with leather accents, black gloves and boots. However, the blond also had an extra accessory: a huge buster sword with a bronzed colored two-handed handle, guard, and blade collar; red cord wrapping around the handle in a diamond pattern; and two small tassels attached at the pommel** **strapped behind his back. (1)**

Nora was drooling at the muscular figure of her partner, thinking that Ren could use a new look. 'Something that shows more skin,' she thought with a heavy blush and a nosebleed.

The women who held an attraction for the blond had varying reactions from seeing his muscular frame.

Yang and Neo grinned as they held up signs that read '10 Points' written on them.

Ruby and Pyrrha were slightly panting as they blushed heavily, wishing that they were in his arms. The younger one also giggled, seeing that the cool sword wasn't a gun, 'Hehe, always with the classics, right Jaune?'

Blake lightly blushed at the slightly older blond, mentally thanking whatever training methods he used to get that body as she took a picture with her scroll. 'So hot.' Her eyes widened, 'where did that come from?'

Velvet did the same, and quickly hiding it before Coco, who took off her sunglasses to see better, could notice.

Penny analyzed the blade's height, wondering what the makeup of the blade was and if it could be replicated if it proved superior to her own weapon's system.

Weiss jaw-dropped, not believing that the dunce could become so defined. Her mind shattering when she saw her beloved older sister blush and say, "Well now. Such a strong, and very dependable, young man."

Cinder smirked as she mentally took note of how tight that outfit was, outlying his hidden muscles, while Emerald didn't blink, trying to get the image of him burned into her mind.

"Oh my," Raven grinned, "he makes quite a handsome figure." Vernal nodded, drooling as she undressed him with her eyes, blood gushing as she rubbed her legs together.

Glynda, much to her shame, was ogling her student's frame; blushing as she pictured how it would feel to have his muscular arms wrapped protectively around her. She quickly slapped herself to get rid of her naughty thoughts, 'Stop it, Stop it!'

Sienna raised an eyebrow, 'Well, he's not bad looking, perhaps if he was a bit '

Terra and Saphron were feeling uncomfortable. This was their little brother/in-law, and they're seeing a lot of women drooling at the sight.

Many of the men felt their pride hurting, with the younger ones subconsciously flexing to show that they weren't lacking. Tyrian grinned as he saw all the women ogling this version of his 'son', especially Cinder.

Ozpin felt something other than a wounded ego, he felt pride welling up inside. He didn't know where it came from, but rationalized that it was because it was his student, and no doubt the training came from his curriculum.

Salem felt the same as Ozpin, though unlike her ex, she couldn't think of a rational reason for it.

**Jaune kneeled besides Ren, looking at his brother with a worried look on his face. Ren then opens his eyes and slowly looks up at him. Seeing his head rise, Jaune gives him a smile before ruffling his hair like an older sibling would, standing up soon after.**

Saphron smiled, remembering all the times she used to do that when they were younger.

Ren blushed in embarrassment as Nora cooed at the family moment.

**Jaune then gets up and started walking away as the audience sees Ren slowly raising his hand to reach out to him, but he was still too weak to do anything and soon the bright light of the sun covers the scene.**

**The glare goes away, showing an Atlas soldier pointing his gun at the screen, soon panning out to show several more in helmets pointing their guns to where Jaune was with a few bullheads hovering nearby. The screen pans out even further to show hundreds of soldiers ready to gun him down.**

Now everyone was worried.

Most of the adults were hoping that he would have enough strength to make it through this.

The students were praying that Hero-Jaune would walk away.

James hoped that his men would complete their mission.

Salem and Ozpin gripped their seats in worry.

Saphron found it difficult to breath, her wife rubbing circles on her back. Adrian whimpered at the sight of his uncle surrounded by bad people, deeply hugging Zwei for comfort.

**He looked at the sight of all the soldiers around him. "Boy, oh boy." Jaune said as he shook his head. "The price of freedom is steep." Jaune slowly draw his buster blade and raises it to his face, showing a light-gray blade. Jaune closes his eyes and bows his head a bit.**

The audience becomes tense.

**"Embrace your dreams…and whatever happens protect your honor…" Jaune said as he slowly started to get to his stance. "AS SOLDIER!"**

**Jaune then charged towards the hundreds of gunmen with his blade at the ready. "COME AND GET IT!"**

**Soon the soldiers started shooting at him.**

**Jaune uses the flat part of his sword to block most of the bullets but received a few scratches. Pretty soon, Jaune was near a group of soldiers, and so he swung his buster blade.**

**Ten soldiers were easily cut in half by his blade as Jaune started to press the attack, hacking and slashing his way through any soldiers in his way.**

James gritted his teeth in anger, seeing his prized soldiers being torn apart by this one man, 'And this is while he is in his weakened form.' He narrowed his eyes. 'Perhaps I should do the same, destroy him before he can become too much of a threat.'

Oz and Glynda watched in slight awe of his technique. No wasted movements, no overextending, his stance perfect; they thought that he had come far in his training.

The students, though horrified by the ease in which Jaune's decimating those soldiers, were looking on with pride. Pyrrha especially was beaming, seeing the fruits of her labors in action before her. 'I knew that you had greatness within you, Jaune.' She thought with a proud smile, absolutely ignoring the carnage and screams of the damned going off on the screen.

Raven, Vernal, and Neo were practically eye humping the young man as his attacks had made him glisten with sweat. The sun's light made him look like a god in action. 'A god of death' Raven thought as she lightly drooled at his performance.

Sienna purring at the muscular form, watching his killings as if he was dancing. 'Such an elegant form, I wonder...'

Ilia was in awe at the boy killing so many of the accursed Atlas personnel.

The villains smirked at how even in a weakened state, he is still slaughtering this army. Cinder, if you looked ever so closely, had a pair of hearts in her eyes.

Salem watched with a smirk, thinking 'If he was trained by Ozpin or that General and became this powerful, then I wonder how much stronger he'll be under _my_ tutelage?'

Tyrian was simply recording the massacre while weeping tears of joy.

**The soldiers continued to fire, but Jaune refused to give in as he dodges and blocks the bullets with the flat side of his blade while at the same time, cutting many of his enemies.**

**The army's leader knew that they need to throw everything they have against Jaune if they are to survive.**

**Jaune is truly a one-man army.**

Many in the audience nodded at the claim.

**Clip after clip, soldiers fired as Jaune continued to fight. However, this couldn't go on forever.**

**Soon, Jaune was starting to tire. He felt the fatigue from the earlier fighting finally catching up to him, his muscles were becoming more sluggish.**

The audience watched on in horror. Jaune was slowing down, and more of the soldiers' bullets were going through his defenses. 'His aura at the breaking point no doubt,' many of the teachers thought as they could only look on as this student was ever closer to death's door.

The students started to cheer, hoping that their voices would lend him strength.

"Come on Jaune, you can take those chumps!" Yang shouted as she fist pumped, Coco joining in as she urged him on.

Nora yelled "Kill them all, Fearless Leader!" while standing up in her chair and waving a large flag with his face in a goofy smile printed on it, forcing Ren to do the same. "Come on Renny, show our brother our faith!" Ren, not wishing for Jaune to fall, nodded and waved a flag too. Though he didn't say anything while doing so.

Even Saphron and Terra joined in, screaming for their brother to make those soldiers pay for spilling Arc blood.

Blake held a tiny version of the flag as she thought, 'Please make it. You have to.'

Little Adrian copied the dark-haired beauty, holding up his own tiny flag while cheering "Oncl' Jan!" to the best of his abilities, with Zwei holding up another flag with his teeth.

Weiss glared at the blond onscreen. "You better make it out of there, you dunce!"

Ruby, Velvet, and Pyrrha held their hands in prayer, hoping that whatever deity was watching that he would be safe. Penny copying her friend as she wished for this nice version of the blond to survive.

Glynda simply closed her eyes for a bit, willing the tears from forming, and opened them with a resolute gaze, 'I will see this through. Fight on Mr. Arc, prove to me that you are worthy of being a student of Beacon.'

Winter saluted to the valiant young man, seeing him sacrifice himself for his brother. 'Just as I would do for my sister.' She lowered her arm, blushing a bit as she thought, 'Just as a man _should_ do for his family.'

Qrow raised his flask in respect as Tai nodded, knowing that he was finished. However they also knew that if they were in his shoes, they would make the same sacrifice themselves.

Raven and Vernal looked on. The bandit queen then glanced at her subordinate, "Never take your eyes off him, Vernal. He demands your respect for going out fighting," she turned back to the screen, "With honor."

Sienna sighed, not wishing such a fate to befall on such an honorable young man.

Ilia watched, not knowing how to feel about his imminent death. But she was happy to see that at least he would take out his pursuers with him, thus sparing his brother.

Vernal nodded, tearing up a bit as she watched her man inching closer to death, but didn't turn away, not wanting to mock his sacrifice for his sibling. 'Like a member of the tribe.' She thought with pride.

The villains were mostly angered.

Tyrian wanted to go in their and make those soldiers suffer for killing his son. Hazel grounded his teeth, remembering how his sibling was taken from him, and now was watching someone else lose theirs. Cinder, Neo, and Emerald wanted desperately to go in there and safe him, believing that if they did, they would be 'rewarded' for their efforts. Mercury and Roman just sighed, they thought that the guy looked like a cool dude here, and didn't want to see him go so soon.

Salem and Ozpin were livid, seeing the young man continuously bleed and being powerless to aid him.

The only ones not affected were Watts, Adam, and James. The former not caring, Adam actually smiling at a human dying while slaughtering other humans, and the latter silently cheering as he watched the boy finally get taken down.

**"RAAAH!" Jaune roared as a rush of power surged within him, swinging his sword to cut down more of the soldiers. This caused the cheering to increase. Soon, however, bullets were finally starting to pierce through Jaune's body, making him scream in pain.**

His screams managed to silence the cheering audience, their faces contorting in horror. The flags lowering, many tearing up. Adrian hugged the puppy closer to him as he cried.

**"AAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Jaune said as he was continuously hit by hundreds of bullets, but miraculously, he still manage to stand on his ground and continued to fight despite the injuries he received.**

**SWOOSH!**

**SLASH!**

**Jaune was still cutting down every soldier that came across his path.**

"He's still fighting." Sienna said in awe. She knew that she would have dropped to the ground long ago under that heavy of a barrage.

Many others were also in such a state.

The adults all made some form of salute in honor of the young man.

The students were crying, yet they continued to watch as they were filled with pride. 'You can do it, Vomit Boy.' Yang thought as she lightly smiled, 'Just a few more, and then you can finally rest.'

Jaune's family cried as Saphron got up and took her son from the pen and took him with her to join Terra. As they sat down, they all hugged each other while watching Jaune fight. 'I'm so proud of you, baby brother.' Saphron thought as she held her crying son close.

**Soon memories started to play in Jaune mind.**

**"I'm Blake. Weiss has a message." Blake said as she introduced herself to Jaune.**

**"We have a mission. Let's go." Weiss said.**

**"Where's Ozpin?" Adam asked.**

**"This my job. This what I need to do." Blake said.**

**"We'll need you." Blake said.**

**"Jaune, I got to go." Blake said.**

**Soon the memories faded away like burning pictures.**

Many were confused by the different memories, though Penny was the one who cleared that up. "It seems friend Jaune is experiencing memory flashes. He's seeing various moments of his life that are deeply held in his heart." As she finished that last part, Blake blushed at how many of those flashes were with her. The other women sneakily glared at the cat girl.

Weiss didn't really know what to think, seeing her other in a team with the blond oaf.

Adam seethed, 'How dare I work under a filthy human.' Forgetting that Cinder essentially has him by the horns.

Oz looked confused, 'Am I involved in the order?' he thought with growing fear.

**Jaune continues to cut down more and more soldiers. The view panning out a bit to show the battlefield getting bloodier by the second, corpses were starting to pile up. Just then, Jaune heard the sound of a missile being shot. He turns to where the sound came from and saw a missile headed towards him. His eyes widen in shock.**

**BOOOMMM!**

**The missile struck and an explosion erupted, sending him flying several feet away.**

"JAUNE!" Several shouted out.

**Jaune slowly stands back up with the use of his buster blade for support. The view zooming in on his face as his eyes started glowing with power. With a determine look on his face, he took his stance again. Letting out a roar, he charged back towards the enemy.**

The cheers came back. Everyone knew that by this point, he would never make it off this field of battle alive, but they cheered anyway. They're cheering for the blonde's courage, his willingness to sacrifice his life for others, his fearlessness over overwhelming odds, his love for his friends, and his loyalty for his loved ones.

Just like the Jaune they knew.

**BOOM!**

**SLASH!**

**SLICE!**

**SWOOSH!**

**Jaune was cutting down everything in his path. Bullets, missiles, soldiers, etc. Everything on sight he was slicing and bashing through with no signs of stopping. He was running purely on adrenaline now. As Jaune continued to cut down his prey, more memories in the back of his mind started to resurface.**

**"You're really reckless." Ozpin said as he helped Jaune to get up.**

Oz smiled as he covertly wiped his tears away.

**"I'm Lie Ren. A new recruit." Ren said as he introduced himself to Jaune.**

Ren puffed his chest in pride, 'I'm glad that you viewed my other as your brother, and I know that ours feels the same.'

**"I don't want to lose anyone. If only I was a SOLDIER, like you." Ren said.**

**"Embrace your dream, Jaune." Ozpin said as he was looking at Jaune.**

Oz nodded, 'Indeed. Follow your passions Mr. Arc. I know that you will go on and accomplish many great things.' he thought in pride for his student.

Ruby and Pyrrha were having similar thoughts.

**"Jaune, Hold on." Ren's voice echoes as the memory fades away.**

**The view switches to the field as it became covered in clouds covering the sun. Dead bodies were scattered everywhere. The field, silent and empty.**

**It was over.**

"He did it!" Tai whispered, knowing that the boy succeeded in his goal. 'It's over.'

**The screen suddenly flashes again, where it shows more disjointed memories. The screen is too bright to show a face, but the voice was unmistakable to those who've heard it before.**

**"Hello~…?"**

**"Don't worry..."**

**"That's right..."**

**"Wanna hear?"**

Many became wide-eyed, looking to the one they knew who had the same voice, the woman herself was speechless.

**"Will I, see you again?"**

**The screen brightened, the voice's final words being, "I'll be here."**

**Soon the bright light faded to show...**

"Pyrrha?" Ren asked in shock.

**The screen faded in to show a kneeling Pyrrha Nikos inside of what looks to be a church with a large hole in the roof, tending a flower garden.**

Pyrrha was shocked. She didn't expect to see herself there, nor did she think that Jaune's last thoughts would be about her. She blushed at the thought of her being his final thoughts, believing that as sad as it was, it was still a romantic gesture. She was a bit confused with the clothing option her other was wearing, 'Those don't appear to be fitted for a warrior. Is my other not a fighter in this world?'

The other women who wanted him were grumbling that his last thoughts wasn't about them.

**Just then, light music begins to play in the background and the area around her was soon bathed in light coming from the hole, showing the garden full of yellow flowers. Pyrrha stops in her task and turns around, looking above as the view focuses on her face. She gets up and it looks like she's staring deeply at the audience. Soon, rain begins to pour, causing her to frown. She stands in front of the hole, the view turning to show her from behind as the light slightly envelops her.**

**She places her hands together in a prayer, bowing her head as the view switches back to her face as she closes her eyes. 'Please, what is this feeling I'm having?' Dread begins to fill her heart. 'What has happened?'**

By now, the students were crying softly. There is no doubt in their minds that Jaune and Pyrrha were a couple in this universe. They were watching a young woman whose love was taken from her, and would probably never know of what became of him. The music wasn't helping their mood.

Pyrrha had her eyes closed as she placed her palms on her lips. Her tears flowing as she silently cried, with Nora and Ren attempting to comfort the heartbroken spartan.

**The view switches to behind, showing the small field of yellow flowers and Pyrrha in prayer, the music growing louder but still in its soft tempo.**

**Just then the music suddenly stops, and the screen switches back to her face as she raises her head with a gasp, looking up at the audience as she starts to tear up. "No..." She whispers in sorrow as the view quickly pans out before fading in a white light.**

"Their love was so great, that she instantly knew in her heart. She lost her beloved." Salem whispered quietly to herself, her heart aching as she remembered the day she lost Ozma the first time.

Sienna rubbed her tears away. While she had to project an air of authority as leader of the White Fang, in her heart she was a hopeless romantic. Watching this young woman react to her lover passing on, while she herself was nowhere near him to ease his passing, got to her. She prayed that she would make it through this. 'Perhaps, one day, these two soulmates will find each other again. In the next life.'

**The view continues to pan out, until the color changes to a light blue. As it continues onwards, it shows that the color came from Jaune's left eye.**

**The rain was falling heavily, as he looks on, blinking slowly as he breathe faintly.**

The students were saddened by his wounded state, but continued to look on, determined to show the brave young man that he was not alone in spirit, that he will not die alone.

**The view changes to a view of the darkened sky, then turning to his limp arm as he's still clutching his sword in defiance, the blood washed away from the blade, leaving it clean.**

*Sob* "It's alright, Jaune." Pyrrha says as sobs escape her lips, causing much pain in her friends' hearts, "Please, you don't have to fight anymore..." It pained her deeply to say this next part, but she pushed through as she smiles lovingly at her love.

"You can let go now."

**The view switches over to show his full body, laying on a ridge as the rain washed away all the dead bodies, leaving behind only scattered equipment.**

**Just then, a body is seen crawling towards Jaune. At first, due to the mud and rain, many suspected that it was a surviving Atlas soldier. This caused many of the students to growl at him, wishing that he would just leave their friend alone (Saphron: "Please," *sob* "just leave my baby brother alone!").**

**As he crawled closer, and the mud washed away from his face, they saw who was really trying to reach him.**

**It was Ren!**

Nora immediately hugged Ren as she cried, muttering "You're Ok. Jaune did it." Turning to the screen, she whispered, "Thank you, big brother."

Ren hugged her back as he teared up, filled with regret and shame in not helping his brother fight off the Atlas soldiers. 'I've always needed saving, and my saviors, always falling. First father, then Mother, and now...' looking to the screen as it changed to show Jaune's bloodied form, he couldn't help but feel like he'd failed again. 'And now you. I'm sorry, brother.'

**Jaune was slightly gasping for breath, coughing as his lungs were filling up with blood.**

**Ren was desperately trying to reach him, crawling ever faster towards his brother.**

"You can do it, me." Ren quietly urged on his other. "Don't let him die with no one by his side."

**It took him a while, but Ren finally managed to reach him. The screen switches to Jaune's POV, letting everyone see how Ren entered his view.**

**"J-Jaune." Ren muttered, the rain hiding his tears as the view switches to Jaune gasping for air. Turning to his brother, he smiled.**

'I don't deserve your kindness.' Ren thought bitterly to himself as he forced himself to not look away, refusing to allow his emotions get the better of him and make him miss his brother's final words.

**"For the..." *Gasp* "Both of us..." He continued to smile as the view shows Ren looking down at Jaune.**

**"Both, of us?" Ren asked.**

**Jaune nodded as best he could with what strength remained, "That's right... You're gonna..."**

**Ren nodded, "You're gonna..." repeating his words as if committing them to memory.**

The Ren in the audience leaned forwards, not wanting to miss what he will say next.

**Jaune slowly raises his left arm, placing his hand on the back of Ren's neck. He then pulls him close to his chest, saying with a resolute tone, "Live."**

Ren's eyes widen, bowing his head as he couldn't take anymore. Raven, who was watching this, scowled and stood up. In a loud voice she said, "Hey!" earning not only his attention, but everyone else's as well. "He sacrificed himself so that you may live." She narrowed her eyes at him as she shook her head, "Don't spit on that sacrifice. He died with honor, and deserves respect. The least you can do, is see this through."

Ren winced, but nodded his head. Wiping his tears, he looked back to the screen. Raven nodded in satisfaction, sitting back down under the incredulous stares of Ozpin, Glynda, her ex, brother, and daughter. 'You deserve respect, for protecting your family 'till the end.'

**With his arm still wrapped around him, Jaune whispered, "You'll be..." Pausing to place his hand on Ren's head for a final time, "My living Legacy."**

Ren took a deep breath, nodding at him with resolve. 'I promise, I will do what it takes to make you proud.' Looking to his team, his family, he clenched his fists. 'I won't let your sacrifice be in vain.'

**Soon, his arm loses his strength, and he drops it back to the ground. Ren raises his head slowly, showing that Jaune's blood was in parts of his hair, and the right side of his face.**

**Jaune looks at him with pride, his smile still in place, before turning his head to his right. To his sword that he was still clutching in his grip, laying in a pool of the blood of his enemies. "My honor, my dreams," He lifts the sword one last time, and presents it to an astonished Ren, "they're yours, now."**

**Slowly, Ren lifts his right arm, and places his hand on the handle. Jaune loosens his grip, allowing Ren's other hand to take its place, gripping his left hand over the handle as he does so.**

**Then, with the last of his strength, Jaune pushes the sword to his chest, before finally letting go.**

The students all cried, seeing the blond knight passing on his weapon to the one he trusts most. Ren was filled with a sense of honor. He stood up and bowed at the waist, showing the proper respect to this fallen warrior, and hoping that he can live up to this responsibility.

**Ren looked at the sword, then to Jaune. He nodded, "I'm, your living... Legacy..."**

**Jaune's eyes showed how proud was of his brother, before closing them one last time as he smiled softly. His final thoughts being, 'The rest, is up to you... Make me proud, brother.' With that Jaune Arc, god killer, beloved brother, and honorable warrior, finally passed.**

The students bowed their heads.

The adults raised their arms in various salutes, praying that he would find peace at last.

The villains felt some form of sadness wash over them.

Sienna, Raven, Vernal, and Ilia saluted the brave warrior for his sacrifice.

Saphron and Terra cried as they watched their little brother die. Adrian's cries were silent, instead he waved his little hand goodbye, "Bye-bye, Oncl' Jan."

Winter felt heartbroken by the loss of such an honorable young man, but she also nodded in respect, "It would have been an honor to have worked alongside you." She then thought about the Jaune in their universe, thinking 'Are you and he similar? Mr. Arc.'

Salem discreetly rubbed her face of the tears that continued to flow.

**Ren gasped for breath, knowing his brother was gone forever. Then the view began to pan out and point to the sky as he looked up and screamed his pain to the heavens "AHHHHHH!" ****Just then a song began to play as the screen turned white.**

**(Play "Why" by Ayaka Iida)**

**_Hitomi no oku ga boyake te mie nai_**

**It shows an Ok Jaune, turning to the screen with a happy expression with flower petals blowing gently around him and a sort of soft blue light in the background, giving sense of calm. He looks to the screen as he speaks, but no sound is heard, as he placed his fist over his over his heart in salute.**

No one was sure what was happening at first, but as the scene played out, it became apparent that what they were witnessing was Ren's memories of his brother.

**_Kokoro no soko no kimochi wa aru no?_**

**The scene switches to Jaune from a low angle. The blond looking serious as he reaches a hand out towards the screen. The image closes in on his serious face, before he smirks.**

His happy expression caused many to smile, even as the tears continued to pour.

**_Sekai no subete wo te ni shi ta toshite mo_**

**It shows Ren, looking at the sky with a shocked and depressed look.**

**_Sore ga anata no shiawase na no?_**

**In his mind, the view switches to his POV as he pictures Jaune standing over him, smiling at the screen as he places his hand on top of his head like an older brother and tussles his hair, causing the screen to shake left and right as Jaune silently laughs.**

The older siblings smiled as they remembered how they did that to their younger siblings in the past. They knew that these two shared a special bond, and they felt privileged in seeing how strong it was.

**_Why kodoku na sora wo miageru no?_**

**It then shows Jaune looking sideways at the screen as he, and supposedly Ren, run towards an unseen fight, side-by-side.**

**_Why waratte mise te yo_**

**Going back to Ren as the view zooms in on his face.**

**_Kotoba ni suru no ga heta na_**

**It then shows Ren's final memory of Jaune, of Ren reaching out to his brother in vain as he walks away to his death.**

The remembrance of that scene had many of the women clutching the area where their hearts are, what happens next still too painful for them.

**_Anata no seikaku wakaru kara_**

**It cuts to Ren as the view zooms to his saddened eyes.**

**_Tooi mukashi ni nani ga atta no?_**

**It then goes to Jaune looking at the screen as he has a conversion with his brother, but again, no sound escapes his lips. His words forever lost to time.**

**_Shisen wo sorasu anata no hitomi ni_**

**The screen flashes white, before it shows a sky with the clouds dispersing, allowing rays of sunlight to kiss the ground again. One ray touches down on the pair, Ren closing his eyes as he takes a deep breath, before lowering his head to see his brother's sword still in his grip.**

**_Hitori de samishii yoru ni dakishime rareru_**

**_Sonna atataka sa shitteru_**

**_Why doushite katachi ni kodawaru no?_**

**Just then, Jaune's voice is heard, shocking everyone since they didn't think they would ever hear his voice again. "_Embrace your dreams_."**

**The scene switches to Jaune's face, his expression peaceful. "_If you want to be a hero, you need to have dreams._"**

This final piece of advice had the students look on in pride, believing more than ever that they will accomplish their dreams. They will be heroes, just like this Jaune was. Just as their Jaune dreams of being. 'We will help you accomplish your dream, Jaune.' Many thought to themselves. 'Aftercall, isn't that what a hero does?'

**_Why kokoro wo hirai te_**

**Ren looks down to his fallen brother, his thoughts at peace now. "Thank you." He says softly, bowing his head slightly in reverence.**

**_Ookina nimotsu wo seotta_**

**"I won't forget." Ren promised, closing his eyes before standing up with his brother's, no, Standing up with _his_ sword in hand.**

**Looking to Jaune's peacful face, he smiles, then raises his head to view the land. The battle his brother fought in completly swept away. He closes his eyes again and bows his head.**

**_Anata wo ukeire rareru chikara_**

**_Aru wa shinji te mi te?_**

**He opens them and taking one final look to Jaune, he whispers "Good night." before turning around. Parting with one final word "Jaune." He starts walking away as he drags the heavy blade behind him.**

"Goodbye my brother." Ren says, praying that he finds peace in the afterlife.

**_Ohh... Yeaahh_**

**The screen turns to face Jaune, his expression having a peaceful feeling wash over everyone as the sunlight bathes him in light. The screen zooming out, before it switches to the sky as the clouds completely reveals the sun.**

**Soon, Jaune's voice was heard once more. "_That girl, she said that the sky, frightened her_."**

**_Jiyuu na hito wa bukiyou de?_**

**Just then, a figure is seen coming out of the sun's glare, coming closer to him. As the figure emerges, everyone can see a pair of wings flapping gently in the breeze.**

The heroes smile, seeing an angel descending from heaven to take Jaune to a happy afterlife.

**_Jiyuu na hito wa fuan de?_**

**The screen then focuses on Jaune's face, "_That look so... Liberating_." The view zoomed on his right eye. Just then, his eye flutters open. The view zooms out to see that all of Jaune's wounds were healed. His clothes no longer covered in his blood. He looks above, at the audience as a white feather gently lands next to him, and he smiles happily.**

Jaune's family were smiling back. Adrian was attempting to reach out for his uncle, happy that he was ok now.

**_Why kodoku na sora wo miageru no?_**

**The camera slowly zooms in on him again, his arm lifting off the ground as he reaches for something. "Those wings..." More feathers gently fall all around him "_I want them too_."**

"You deserve them, young man." Raven says loudly for all to hear, many nodding in agreement as they believed he's earned them.

**_Why waratte mise te yo_**

**The scene shifts to a sideview, with Jaune reaching out towards the sky, and the sun shining rays all around him in a beautiful display of colors. Feathers circling around him in a majestic fashion.**

Many in the audience were captivated by the sight, a few taking pictures to keep them for posterity.

**_Kotoba ni suru no ga heta na_**

**He slowly gets up, his arm still reaching out and the wind starting to pick up.**

**_Anata no seikaku wakaru kara_**

**The screen focuses on his hand, where another female one comes into view and takes it in a gentle grip.**

**_Shinji te mi te_**

**His body then starts to levitate off the ground, outlines of wings beginning to emerge. "_It feels... Good._"**

Pyrrha watched in happiness, ''You truly are an angel, Jaune.'

Many of his friends started to wave at him. Adrian smiling at his uncle being carried over to a happy place.

**_Why...?_**

**As the song ends, the screen turns white before it clears up to see Ren still dragging the sword behind him. "_If you see Pyrrha, say hi for me._" Before the screen moves up to the clouds, the sun shining behind white clouds. Just then, one last feather is seen gently dropping from the sky. Only this one was different, this was a different color. As the feather falls, everyone can see that the feather wasn't white, but a bright yellow.**

**Jaune's voice was then heard, one last time as he asked the audience, _"Hey, would you say, I became a hero?"_**

**The screen turned white and the lights came back on, signaling the end of this viewing.**

The heroes nodded enthusiastically, knowing that he was a true hero. Just then, a bright flash emitted from one of the display stands. It subsides and once it clears up, it shows Jaune's blade proudly on display.

Immediately, the heroes and family members got up and went over to the stand, with Ren being the first to reach it. He looks at the plague in front of the stand, it reading "Jaune Arc- 'Embrace your Dreams'", and placed his hand on top of it, "I promise, brother, that I _will_ accomplish my dream. I'll make you proud." He said, before several more hands are placed on top of his. He looks up to see his friends around him in a circle, with the adults behind them, all with smiles on their faces.

Ruby looks to Ren with a small, yet determined, smile. "All of us will make him proud." She looks around at the assembly, "Isn't that right guys? As a promise to this Jaune, we will fulfill our dreams as heroes." Her friends and Adrian nodded as the adults watched on with pride, "And we will not back down from any danger." She looked to the sword, as they said in one voice, "We will make proud of us."

Just then, a voice is heard, whispering in their ears. "_I'm already proud of you guys._" Their smiles widen as they hear their friend/brother speaking to them.

"_Thank you, my family_."

**END**

**Well, there we go! That took forever, sorry for the delay. Had a busy schedule with Finals Week, but I'm back! Once again, all credit goes to Soul23.**

**1\. I know that this isn't Zack's original Buster Blade, but I felt that I needed to give out another Easter egg regarding Jaune's past, and the size of the blade was just too perfect for showing what Jaune's weapon was before his 'accident'.**

**IMPORTANT NOTE!**

**Alright, so with the holidays coming soon, I got a surprise for you guys! On Christmas Day, I will be posting a special chapter where YOU GUYS get a chance to give the audience presents! A list for the definitive audience so far are at the bottom. Now, there are a few rules for this:**

**1\. Everyone has 4 people to choose from for a Single gift each. That way, you each will have a chance in case your first picks aren't chosen, and so that the list is spread more evenly. ****4 gifts in total will be given to each character just to make it fair for you guys, and so that you can have enough time to choose. But choose quickly, this won't last long.**

**2\. Due to how each presenter _will_ be named, I will unfortunately not accept those with "Guest" as a name. This is to avoid confusion since it will be difficult to say Guest as the name over and over, and so no one will be confused as to just _who_ I'm talking about.**

**3\. No spoilers from the RWBY canon. Got it under wraps and I don't want you guys to waste a choice by having them view the future (that's what my possible scenarios are for!).**

**4\. **_**Change of plans. **_**Due to how the chapter's review section is on the fritz for some reason, I've decided that all requests goes to my PM. I don't know why this happened, and I hope that it's fixed soon.**

**I think that's it. Now because of this raffle of sorts, I will _not_ be posting anything new until Christmas. This is so that I can get through every request as fairly as I can; and because the holiday is a mere week away, I won't have any time to do anything else. So good luck everyone, and may you all have a HAPPY HOLIDAYS!**

**Ruby**

**Weiss**

**Blake**

**Yang**

**Nora**

**Zwei**

**Pyrrha**

**Ren**

**Glynda**

**Tai**

**Penny**

**Winter**

**Sienna**

**Adam**

**Ilia**

**Qrow**

**Ozpin**

**Velvet**

**Coco**

**Adrian (baby)**

**Saphron**

**Terra**

**Raven**

**Vernal**

**James**

**Salem**

**Tyrian**

**Neo**

**Roman**

**Hazel**

**Watts**

**Cinder**

**Emerald**

**Mercury**

**Jack (If you want)**


	14. Happy Holidays

**Chapter 13: "Happy Holidays!"**

**Last I counted, 45 people were chosen in giving their gifts, so expect a LONG chapter here. No reviews this chapter.**

**WARNING: Adult content ahead! Viewer discretion advised! (Really earning my "M" rating!)**

**Disclaimer in the prologue.**

After the emotional camaraderie, everyone once more took their seats, determined to fulfill the last Jaune's final wish.

Jack smiled softly at the heroes, noting their more confident stances and calm demeaners. "Well," he began after everyone took their seats, "now that that's over, and everyone has calmed down, I have a surprise for you all." The heroes, and the villains, all looked to him. Jack grinned, "It would seem that I am not the only god that has taken an interest in you people. As such, they have seen fit to bestow generous gifts to all of you."

That caused many to converse quietly within their groups, shocked that even more gods were taking an interest in them. Ozpin and Salem, being the most experienced in dealing with deities, were understandably worried over what sort of 'gifts' they'll receive.

Before anyone could question him, Jack suddenly had his clothes change to a white fur trimmed red jacket and pants, a matching hat, a black broad golden buckled belt wrapped over the jacket, and matching boots. The most eyebrow raising, and giggling inducing, accessory would have to be the clearly fake white beard that appeared, covering the bottom part of his face and going down to his stomach.

Just then, a large red sack appeared next to his seat, which changed to a golden throne flanked by two large candy canes in either side behind the chair. Lastly, the lights overhead changing to festive reds, blues, and greens. Jack sat down on his newly furnished seat, and taking out his tablet, he opened the sack up.

"Now then," even his voice changed, becoming more like an old man, "let's see what you all received today." He reached inside his coat and pulled out some golden rimmed spectacles, placing them on his nose as he began to call up his first pick.

"What's with the stupid voice and getup?" Mercury asked.

"Well, little boy," Jack said with Merc glaring at him, "because Fuck you, that's why. Now shut up and let me check my list in peace before I deck you in the halls." A lot of people were snickering or straight up laughing at his rebuttal. Nodding his head, he leaned back in his comfy throne.

"Now then, where was I?" Looking at the first name, he nodded. "Ah yes, this one comes from MrMivx."

Roman crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow, "That's a rather stupid name for a god, isn't it?"

Suddenly the room started shaking violently. Shelves were tipping over, spilling its contents. Columns leaning back and forth, and display cases were shaking erratically. Everyone was grabbing hold of their seats for balance and in fear. "Take it back! Take it back!" Neo, Ruby, and Emerald were shouting as they begged for Roman to apologize.

"Ok, Ok! I'm sorry!" Roman shouted to the sky, then the area stopped shaking immediately.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and everything was returned to normal. Jack looked over to the master thief with a deadpan expression, "Maybe next time, we **don't** insult a celestial being, hmm?"

Everyone nodded, most glaring at a pale Roman as everyone returned to their original positions.

Clearing his throat, he began reading, "'Well Hello Jack, and to everyone stuck there! I have some Gifts for people there. Some Good! And one That's Bad.

For The Gem Flower, Ruby Rose, The Golden Shoes of Mercury. The Fastest God in Greek mythology. This will make you be much faster, Enjoy it Little Flower. Next is for the leader of The White Fang, Sienna. A titanium chest plate, you can't always be protected by your followers. For the metal man, Ironwood. Two boots Made of Donkey poop filled with Cricket Piss. One to the balls and the other to your head. For being An Insane Fool. You Can't be that Dumb. And Lastly for Jack. In the box is some Mexican Candies, Like mazapans, rockaletas, and much more. Your doing great so far. Fust take your time, and take brakes as well.

From the Inky Wells of Mivx Club, A writer Who's Trying, MrMivx, AKA Alex.' Aw, isn't that sweet?"

After he finished reading, several wrapped boxes began to levitate from the sack next to him and drops down in front of him. The first to reach him was Ruby, taking the box labeled for her.

Tearing into the wrapping like an animal, she opened the box to find golden low-heeled sandals with wings on the sides. Squealing a "Thank you" to the god, she immediately went to her seat and took off her boots. Putting on the new shoes, she went to see if the god was telling the truth. Taking a running position, she zipped away, leaving nothing but flower petals in her wake. To everyone else, she was barely even a streak of red, not even the adults could see her clearly. A second later, she crashed into a shelf a couple yards away.

"Ooowwww." Moaning could be heard from the remains of the poor shelf.

As her family moved to check on the red reaper, Sienna went to get her present. She ripped the wrapping off and examined the chest plate. "Well, it certainly is extravagant looking." It was. The piece had wonderful, detailed carvings of two Faunus holding up two swords in defiance, lines stretching out from the images, symbolizing power. She smiled at the gift, bowing to Jack in thanks, "Be sure to give my compliments to the deity." She then walked back to her seat, placing the armor on her body as she did so.

James' gift wasn't as well received. The box magically unwrapped itself, then opened up, and a pair of foul boots levitated out of the box, before they accelerated to their intended targets. The boots flew straight and true, smacking the good General in the forehead and the balls and forcing off his seat with a high-pitched scream of pain. Some of the contents spilled out, but with almost no one around him, no one important was too concerned, only managing to spill on Watts. Again, no one important.

Many of the villains laughed at the sight, especially the White Fang, along with a few of the heroes. Even Winter and Glynda couldn't suppress their mirth, giggling at the sight. Qrow and Raven were some of the loudest, laughing and pointing at the writhing man.

Jack, munching on some of the candy he got with a happy smile, paused and swallowed his treat. "Ho ho ho, enjoy your gift, little boy!"

After a few minutes of laughter, everyone quieted down. Ruby by now made it back to her seat, being examined by her dad and sister, and forced to place the shoes back in the box until they were back home where she would hopefully smash into less objects, but not without people like Coco complimenting on the beautiful shoes. James was scowling as he was covered in shit, though no one made a fuss about the smell, probably because no one could smell it to the relief of the Faunus in the area. Watts was cleaned up though as James wasn't supposed to share his gift with anyone, making the scowl deepen.

Jack, after finishing some of his tasty treats and wiping his hands of crumbs, continued with his list, "Let's continue now, this one comes from Eliphas-Chaos. 'Hello everyone, this isn't gonna take long. For my gifts: a training dummy that can change its appearance to who ever he wishes to fight for Adam, some chocolate sea shells for Ren, and a moustache styling kit for Watts.' Great, the bull gets an even bigger chip on his shoulders."

The sack bulged out and a training dummy emerged from its confines, followed by two small boxes.

The training dummy levitated over to Adam, to where it shrunk down to pocket size so he could train with it later. The Faunus smirked, his ego inflating that a god would encourage him to become stronger. 'Soon. My time will come.' He thought as he took the gift and placed it in one of his pockets. Those who knew the crazed extremist did not the idea of him becoming even more of a threat and wondered what the god was thinking.

The other boxes soon went to their recipients.

With Ren, he opened the box to find chocolates of various flavors and all in the shape of sea shells. Bowing his head in thanks, he took one and began to nibble on it, taking another out for Nora when she begged for one with puppy dog eyes.

Watts was also satisfied with his gift, already using it to make his glorious moustache look even better.

"This is from Aravas, 'To Velvet: a picture of you and Jaune with your fourteen kids, because the Arcbunnyfuck. And to James I bequeath, a boot to the head'"

Velvet, while shocked at the number of kits (baby bunnies), got her picture with a squeal. As she got her gift, she looked and saw the most adorable children she ever saw.

Coco looked over her shoulder in curiosity, and noticed something different about her partner. "Damn, Bun-bun, you're a bona-fide MILF!" Velvet instantly blushed at her rather loud declaration. Her friends gathering around to see the children and her older self. The sight of so many little bunny children made many go "aww", but then they noticed Velvet.

She had certainly grown, with breasts surpassing Glynda, widened hips, long sexy legs, and a healthy plump ass. She was simply wearing a brown sundress that did nothing to hide her wonderful curves, smiling happily as she watched over her children. Many were feeling jealous over her beauty. That's when they saw Jaune, and the girls with crushes couldn't help but drool at the sight. He was wearing a white button-up shirt that clung a bit tight around his more developed torso, teasing the girls with what laid beneath. For pants, he was wearing a pair of jeans with a small tear on one knee. His hair was longer, forcing him to keep it in a ponytail with two thin bangs framing his face. Overall, he was very handsome, and the girls wondered if their Jaune would look the same, 'I have to keep him from going to any barbershops!' they all thought. Velvet had hearts in her eyes, happy that she was able to bag that hunk of man meat.

Jack fiddled with his glasses before reading his list, 3 boxes floating out of the sack. "Now this little ditty comes from REVAN004. 'For Ren, an identical version of Jaune's Pumpkin Pete's hoodie that is resistant to all slash and magic attacks. To Saphron, I give to you the Blades of Exile from God of War; and to Yang: The Colt from Supernatural, along with a letter describing the lore of how it came to be', ooh these are interesting ones."

Looking to the two ladies, he says "Yang, your gun can kill anything except for the 5 primordial beings of that world." He grinned, "Meaning anyone from your universe is fair game!" Turning to Saphron, "And you, little missy, get to own weapons that can summon an army of the most formidable badass warriors in history! Oh, and can emit flames when swung." He added the end as an afterthought, much to everyone's shock, and Cinder's jealous rage.

Yang drooled at the box floating towards her, opening it once it was near arms reach. As she pulled the weapon out, she nodded. "This totally fits to my style!" She grinned, "Now all I need is a hat." She then saw the letter and began reading the history behind her new gun with one hand while keeping her sister away with the other as she wanted to see it too.

Saphron though, was nervous at receiving the gift. She placed Adrian back down in the pen with Zwei and went to open the box. Inside were swords that had terrifying, tormented demonic-like faces with horn-like curved spikes out of the heads on the hilts, pronounced hooks on their lower edges, and an intricate pattern of shimmering orange stripes on the flat sides of the blades, no doubt where the flames would come from.

'Thank goodness I placed Adrian inside his pen, I would _not_ want to scare him with these things.' She thought with a sweat drop, and as she took them out, they shrunk to the size of bracelets, the blades becoming dull as they did so. She smiled and went to tie them to her necklace, 'Maybe now I can help my baby brother in his quest. There's no doubt now that the prophesy spoke about him.' She frowned in worry, 'Though if that's the case, I wonder how he entered Death's realm as it claims.'

Moving on, Ren went a bit teary-eyed as he opened his gift. Seeing a copy of his brother's hoodie, he took off his own coat and put the hoodie on. Nora immediately went to snuggle him, murmuring "It's just as soft as Jaune-Jaune's."

Every one of the heroes smiled at the warm sight, though Coco, Ruby, and Yang did snicker at the picture of the cute bunny rabbit printed on the front.

"Now," Jack read from his list, "let's see what the other gifts are. Ooh, this one comes from SomberFlight. 'To Raven, Sienna, Weiss, and Glynda, you all get a cd of Jaune singing Deadman's Gun from the first Red Dead Redemption. This is from an AU where he trained himself to be a huntsman while wandering Valean frontier towns, so he has a lot of actual combat experience and prowess over you guys. He smokes and drinks, though his drinking problem isn't as bad as Qrow's. Due to his lifestyle, he has a gravelly voice rather than the whiny one you all know.'"

Four copies of the cd's comes out of the bag and floats in place as the four ladies goes to collect them. As they grab the cd's, they notice that in the front cover is a picture of an older, more rugged looking Jaune; wearing cargo pants, trekking boots, and a short-sleeve button-down shirt. A whiskey flask is seen attached to his belt on the right, and Crocea Mors hanging on the left. His hair is medium length, reaching to his shoulders, and he's sporting a proper stubble on his face. Lastly, he has a cuirass over his shirt similar to what he wears in Vol-4.

The women all widen their eyes at seeing the dashing figure, the serious look that he's sporting, and quickly moves back to their seats.

Weiss was blushing heavily.

She wondered what the stubble felt like scratching her flawless skin, picturing herself running her hands over his facial hair while the man looks at her softly. They were in a forest if the various trees surrounding them was any indication, a tent behind them and a fireplace placed to the side. 'Why are we camping out in the filthy woods?' She thought with a tingle in her spine. Jaune then bends forward to place a kiss on her cheek.

The image goes away and suddenly her nose starts bleeding. This whole time, she had unconsciously placed the cd case to her chest, picturing it was his face. Just then, snickering coming from her friends were heard, and she looks to see most of the students, and her sister, looking at her with teasing smiles on their faces. Only Pyrrha, Velvet, Ruby, and strangely enough Yang, were not amused. Instead, those four were glaring at her in jealousy. Weiss huffs and turns her head to the side, putting the cd in her purse, murmuring "Be quiet." while thinking, 'I definitely need to have him grow a beard.' Having felt the fuzz scraping her cheek and feeling tingles in her spine as a result.

Sienna took her copy with her and sat down in her seat, Ilia looking over her shoulder to get a better look at the admittedly handsome man. The leader of the White Fang was having similar thoughts to the SDC heiress, though not as innocent as hers.

Instead, she was picturing him roughly kissing her as she pulls on his hair. Their bodies rubbing against each other over their clothes. After making out for some time, the older man breaks the kiss and rips open her dress. He turns his gaze down to the heavenly body that grace his presence with a hunger in his eyes. Seeing the look, she starts to purr. As he moves to take one of her breasts in his lips, her fantasy was ripped away with Ilia shaking her shoulder.

As it turned out, she was actually purring in real life, her body warm, and her arousal was beginning to stain her dress. She grit her teeth, both at the interruption, and of the contents of the dream itself. "thank you, Ilia." She ground out as she placed the cd inside her dress pocket.

Her subordinate nodded, though she was scared that she may have upset her in some way. 'What'd I do?' She thought in worry.

As for Raven, once she sat down, Vernal took the cd and peered at the image with a lustful gaze. She didn't care, already memorizing the image in its entirety. 'Hmm, such a strong man you've become.' She thought with a lustful tone, 'Perhaps Vernal wouldn't mind, _sharing_, the goods?'

As she thought that, her mind went to all three of them inside her tent back in the tribe, going at it like animals in heat.

She pictured Vernal laying next to him, making out with him while rubbing his bare chest, the man fondling hers as he pulls her closer, her slit dripping white from her own coupling with him.

Raven on the other hand, was riding him like a stallion, marveling at his size as she moaned in pleasure. She placed a hand over her stomach, feeling his rod punch its way into her wet cavern before his seed erupted within her. She closed her eyes as she threw her head back and screamed as her body shook in euphoria.

Her fantasy ended when her other self dropped on top of him, utterly spent.

As she returned to the real world, she grinned as her arousal grew to new heights. 'Yes.' She thought as she took the cd back and placed it inside her armor, ignoring Vernal's pout. 'She has to share. I am the leader after all, and what I want, I get.'

Lastly, Glynda just sat down and put the cd in her pocket, trying not to imagine her student in any inappropriate way. (AN: "Too bad, you're getting it!")

Suddenly, she imagined herself lying naked inside Ozpin's office. A sweaty and equally naked Jaune hovering over her body, nibbling at her neck as he powerfully thrusted his girth into her. She was moaning as she begged him to go faster. Suddenly he stands up, picking her up in the process. He then walks the two to Ozpin's desk, laying her gently on top of it after shoving most of the stuff off the surface as he gazes lovingly at her. "You're so beautiful, my love." He says to her.

She smiles as her cheeks turn red. She moves her arms up to where her hands touches his face, feeling the rough texture of his facial hair. "Please, my husband." She whispers with lust in her tone. "Give me more." He grins, inserting himself back inside as the two moan, his thrusts picking up pace and causing the desk to shake back and forth.

"Who am I to deny my lovely wife?" He asks as he grins at her.

"Ah, ah, ah!" She screams as she moves her head to the side and her body starts to shake.

Jaune groans, "I'm almost there." as he grits his teeth.

She turns to look at him with unbridled lust, "Inside, come inside!"

He looks at her in slight worry, "Are you sure my dear? It's not a safe day."

She doesn't say anything, simply grinning as she locks her arms and legs behind him so that he can't escape. Jaune bends over to kiss her as he erupts inside, Glynda reaching her peak and releases all over the desk, ruining any paperwork that was still under her.

The vision soon fades and she's left with a sense of longing, smiling softly at the thought of potentially being with child. She then grinned as she thought of making such a mess inside the office of a man who's been giving nothing but headaches for the past few years. Her happiness was ruined when Qrow, noticing her spaced out expression and look of utter bliss, leaned close to whisper in her ear, "Is the good professor thinking about a certain student of hers~?" She looks at him as he grins, wiggling his eyebrows.

She starts to blush, but before Qrow could capitalize on it, she used her semblance to lift the drunk off his seat and flings him several yards, and through several shelves, away. She huffed as her good mood was ruined, ignoring all the stares her action had garnered.

All four of them vowed to listen to the cd later, wanting to know what his voice sounded like and if it was similar to how they pictured it.

Ignoring her outburst, Jack went on with the distributing, "Ok, so, this next one comes from Siegnir. 'Hello, I wish to give Ruby a strawberry and chocolate cake that Jaune baked for her birthday, a life-sized doll of Jaune with a ribbon to pull to hear several phrases for Pyrrha, and a photo of Ren and Jaune laughing like good brothers for Nora!'"

A life-size doll then came out of the bag followed by an envelope, a mask, and a box, before they each went to the people.

The doll went to a squealing Pyrrha as she jumped and grabbed the thing, hugging it tightly as she settles in her seat with a happy smile. She looks and finds the string attached to his neck. She pulls it and hears the doll say in his voice, _"Thank you Pyrrha for all you've done for me, I love you."_ She giggles and snuggles with the toy, "I love you too, Jaune."

For Nora, she grabs the envelope and opens it to find a picture inside a frame of Jaune and Ren, laughing at something out of frame. She smiles softly at the image, remembering the day it was taken, 'Tee-hee, serves Cardin right.' She hugged the photo gently as to not damage the casing, then she places it gently on a table that appeared next to her so to always keep it close.

With Ruby, she got the box, and opened it to find a large cake in the shape of her emblem. She giggled at the image made out of frosting, before she got up to see if there was some way to cut it. A table with a knife and some plates and forks appeared and she went to cut up her cake. As she removed the cake from the box and set down, her dad went over and took the knife, "Here, let me sweetie." He then cut the cake into several slices and put them into individual plates. The tow then distributed them to each of her friends.

They all dug in and smiled happily at the splendid taste. "Oh man, who knew Vomit Boy was such a great cook?" Yang asked with cake still in her mouth. Many of the other students nodded, though Penny reframed from eating her slice, looking sad at not being able to taste it.

Noticing how sad she was, Jack scrolled down the list until he found the right one. "Now this one comes to us from ArcticKnight13. 'Sup people, I want to give Coco a wardrobe that instantly makes copies of clothes that she wants to wear, an upgrade to Velvet's camera so that she doesn't have to keep taking pictures and thus waste film. And lastly, to sweet Penny.'" He pauses to look at the now interested girl, "'My gift for you is to become a real girl with the ability to switch consciousness with any future bodies you may get.'"

Everyone looked stunned, no more so than Penny, James, and Winter. Before anyone could question it, her body was suddenly enveloped in a bright light, before quickly dying down again. Fading away, it shows a stupefied Penny examining herself, whispering "Is this real?"

Ruby went over to her now human friend, asking "Penny?" She looks to the reaper. "Are, are you ok?"

"I'm not sure, Ruby..." Penny stands up to resume looking at herself, "I cannot access my inner functions, I-" She stops as she widens her eyes. She takes a deep breath, "What is that wonderful smell?" She looks around until she notices the cake that she didn't eat. She bends down and takes the plate. *Sniff* "It's you." She whispers, taking her fork and cutting a piece off. Scooping up the piece, she hesitates, before taking it in her mouth. Her eyes widen at the _taste_, the _texture_, the _feel_ of it all. She starts to cry, amazed that she could now cry, and began eating the slice with gusto. "This, is, SENSATIONAL!" She shouted before trying to eat more of her treat, chocking on the slice soon after.

As Ruby ran over to perform the Heimlich maneuver, Coco and Velvet received their own gifts with gratitude. While Velvet couldn't install it right away, due to not having her camera on her, Coco was ecstatic at the thought of having clothes from across the multiverse, imagining all the different styles there were. 'I'll never need to shop again!' She thought with a happy grin.

Once everyone calmed down, and Penny was no longer chocking ("Thank you Ruby!"), Jack cleared his throat and went on to explain what just happened.

(2 minutes later.)

The students were clamoring Penny, asking what it was like to be a robot. Ozpin meanwhile, looked at James with a guarded expression. "James... pray tell, _how_ did this young woman gain the ability to wield Aura in the first place?" Glynda and Qrow, once he got back from his trip down several aisles, looked at the now sweating General with worry.

As that was happening, Jack went back to the list, "Let's see here, ZonZus sent us this one. 'For Adam, I give a bag of 24 oz Weed laced with blow in the hopes he freaking chills. For Yang, a book on 'Kick Boxing for Dummies', because while boxing is great for a huntress-in-training, no one should ever be a one trick pony. For Salem, a copy of your old family portrait before it was destroyed in your battle. Finally, for Adrian, a baby sized Soldier first class uniform with a miniature foam Buster Sword."

The gifts left the bag and went to each recipient. Adam was appalled that a god would dare give him drugs, he wanted to complain/threaten, but he remembered what happened when someone made fun of their name. 'What's going to happen if I were to directly threaten them?' In a smart move, he shut his trap and begrudgingly accepted the 'gift'.

Yang pouted as she got the book, her family laughing at her choice in fighting didn't help. 'Oh man, why couldn't it have been something cool like the other guy?' She too, didn't voice her displeasure and just took the book, opening it to read as she felt a pair of eyes watching from above.

Salem, and Ozpin, was stunned at seeing a copy of the family portrait of them together with their daughters. The sight of their smiling faces caused a few tears to leave as she caressed the image. The portrait soon shrinking down to a more manageable size. She smiled as she used her powers to transport it to a safe place, glaring at her subordinates before they could ask her the significance behind the gift.

With Adrian, the same light that surrounded Penny did the same to him, leaving soon after to show the worried parents, Winter, Glynda, and students his new outfit. They all cooed at the sight. The boy looked down at himself, and clapped his hands in happiness at wearing what his uncle did onscreen. He looked around to see if he got anything else, and saw the foam sword. He giggled as he picked it up. Turning to face the crowd of awing females, he got up and did a pose, raising his new 'weapon' and shouted in his little voice "Fo Onor!" The ladies all squealed as many went to take pictures of him. Hearing a little bark from behind, he turned to see Zwei in a 'fighting' stance. Adrian laughed and went to do battle with the 'deadly beast'.

After a few minutes of watching the fight, Adrian stood victorious over the 'monster'. Terra went and picked up the victorious warrior and placed him next to Saphron and herself. *Smooch* "Go Adrian," She said as she kissed his nose, "you beat the big, bad wolf." Adrian giggled as he hugged his mommy, getting congratulations from everyone else.

After the excitement died down, and everyone returned to their seats, Jack continued. "Ho ho ho, jolly good show Adrian. Yes, you really showed that beast what for!" The baby laughed from the praise. "Yes, now then. This next set comes from Forge Master 00. Ooh, their gifts are always good. 'Greetings from the Forges of Mars! To Penny I gift to you an upgraded body, one made of wraith bone and necrodermis.' Oh, well, it's a good thing we added that switching consciousness part earlier. 'To Ozpin, I gift you an Anti-Grimm serum... you could end all Grimm in an area if you put this in their spawn pools, or you could save _her_ of her dark side. And to Adam... well I may regret this but... here. You have all the evidence needed to put every Faunus hater in jail forever, even a Schnee, as well as being able to peacefully resolve anti-Faunus sentiments on Remnant. All you have to do is trust Weiss to help by ousting her father and remove your mask when your accusations are called into question (Note: if anything happens to this evidence, then every Faunus will know who cost them their chance at peace).' Nice, hope you follow through with this."

A copy of Penny's body floated out of the bag, along with a bottle of clear liquid and a _very_ large package of papers.

The copy went to Penny, who looked at it in wonder. Wanting to know how effective this model was to her old one, she closed her eyes and willed her consciousness to enter the body. She then opened her new eyes. Everything felt different, muted. As someone who now knows what it feels like to feel, being in a robotic shell didn't feel quite right for her now. Still, she pushed passed the discomfort and examined her new body. 'Interesting, the bone structure is 6 times more powerful while still being slightly lighter than my first body, my power generation has upgraded and quadrupled in longevity at least, and my reaction time has doubled in efficiency.' She looked at the 'skin' of her hands. 'And the outer layer seems to be made up of an alloy 10 times as durable as steel.' She flexed her hands, noting that the muscles was were improved upon as well.

"So, how do you feel Penny?" Jack asked as he watched the girl play around with her new body.

She looks at the god, and said "It's wonderful, Mr. Jack. However, I do wish to return to my human body."

The man nodded, "Understandable." He sees Penny switching bodies and sits down. "Besides, you can still use the human one for more comfort means, and the second for combat purposes." Penny smiled, happy to know that she could still be fight, probably even better than before.

In case you're wondering why no one was reacting to Penny's second body, everyone was too busy focused on the bottle gently floating to a stunned Ozpin, to really care.

As it floated closer, Ozpin gently grabbed the small bottle, amazed to have been given such a gift. All of the other huntsmen gazed at the innocent looking thing with awe. The villains though, didn't like the idea of the heroes having something like that and were planning on either taking the thing or destroying it. Salem scoffed at the thought of Ozpin trying to change her mind, 'It never worked when we were married, why would it now?' Ozpin had similar thoughts.

As for Adam, he grounded his teeth together as he looked at the package that would threaten to undermine his plans. However, he had no choice but to accept this 'gift', otherwise Sienna would no doubt call for his immediate execution, and even if he escapes back to Remnant, his powerbase would certainly be destroyed. 'Damn you!'

"Ok," he says, going back to his list, "what do we have next? Ah. This set comes from Argus456. 'To Qrow:  
At first I thought about giving you a new flask, or an upgrade to yours that grants you infinite amounts of whatever booze or drink you pour into it, '" Qrow looked excited, praying to his new favorite god in the multiverse, "'but that's been done to death, so instead, the flask automatically switches its contents to hangover cures whenever your hungover.'"

Now Qrow pouted. 'Well,' he thought, 'at least it's something. And hey, no more hangovers when I drink!'

"'To Team (J)NPR, this gift is technically for Ren but it's shareable: A photo album filled with pictures of good times between Jaune and everyone on his team, including ones from the multiverse that gets updated between each viewing. To Penny: A collection of storybooks which include Pinocchio, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, all in their family friendly versions. And to Jack: A massage chair that helps him relax after the stress the audience gives you.' Oh, cool! Thank you!"

The gifts soon came out of the bag and went to the people. Team NPR got their photo album, with RWBY looking over their shoulders to see as Ren opened it. Inside was their team happily eating dinner, Nora telling one of her stories while Ren seen was correcting her. Jaune was eating his chicken nuggets and Pyrrha was trying to get his attention. The four of them were all smiling.

The students smiled at the image, and going through the album, they saw a few more pictures before they returned to their seats.

Penny got a small stack of books wrapped together with fancy orange, with a neon green outline, lace. "Thank you, Lord Argus456."She said as she began to read the first book.

Qrow got his gift when his flask started to glow. Since he wasn't drunk yet, 'Years of practice.', the flask didn't have the cure, but he was thankful anyway.

"Alright, let's see what se got next." Jack said, now sitting on his massage chair and melting into it as it massages him. " This comes to us from team zephyr. 'Hey guys, for Zwei: I gift you a dog collar from "up" that allows dogs to talk, and for Saphron: a scroll which will allow her to Make a call outside of the theater to speak to Jaune and the rest of the arc family.'"

A scroll and a collar hovers out of the bag and moves towards the two.

Zwei looked excited to be able to talk to his family, running around in circles and barking happily. Meanwhile, Tai got up from his seat and came over to place the collar on him, "Easy boy, stay still." Zwei did so, but he whimpers as he wants to speak now! "There! Ok boy, what' your first words?" By this point, Ruby, Weiss, and Yang came over to see this magical event.

"Hello, my friends!" Zwei finally spoke!... in a high, squeaky voice that one would normally hear from someone who's inhaled too much helium.

Tai and Qrow laughed, while Ruby, Weiss and Yang cooed at the voice. Zwei meanwhile had a look of utter horror at this cruel trick. "Get it off, get it off!" He squeaked as he ran in circles, trying to get the collar off him.

Blake, after the shock of hearing the mutt speak, broke from her aloof demeaner and laughed uproariously as she pointed at the begging canine.

Jack, taking pity on him, magically took the collar off him. Zwei, barking a thanks, turned to his laughing family, and pouted. He then trotted on over to the Cotta-Arcs and scratched at Terra's leg.

The woman, feeling bad for him, moved Adrian to Saphron and picked up the dog. "It's ok, little guy. We won't make fun of you."

Zwei still looked sad, so Adrian took his little sword, and playfully bopped him on the head. The dog looked to see who hit him, and saw Adrian smiling at him with a hand extended. Zwei panted and licked his hand in thanks.

After the laughter ended, Yang came over to apologize, "Sorry Zwei, we didn't expect you to have that kind of voice." Zwei looked to her and pouted, then panted as she picked him up for a hug.

"Now that that's out of the way, let's continue." Jack said, before going back to the list. "This one comes to us from Azrael Zero 'To Ozpin and Salem: A solid gold Medallion with the Arc family crest on one side, and Salem's crest on the other. For Tyrian: The complete Saw movie collection.'" He paused to take out a boot from the bag, "'And to Ironwood: a boot to the face.'"

He then threw the boot at James, smacking him in the face, and causing the crap that was still on him to fly off in different directions. This time though, Watts was smart enough to sit in a different chair by this point, so the shit missed him. James was once again on the floor, writhing in pain, while the Branwen siblings were laughing at his pain.

Winter looked at Jack, and raised an eyebrow. "Yes Winter?" Jack asked.

"Why does so many of General Ironwood's gifts include brining him bodily harm?" Winter asked with her arms crossed.

As she asked this, no one noticed Ozpin and Salem looking over their medallions, wondering why the Arc crest was on the other side. They then shook their heads, thinking that they will find out the significance later.

Meanwhile, Tyrian was grinning at the commentary behind the movies, thinking 'Ooh, so many different ways to bring pain and suffering in the name of my mistress!'

Back to the question though, Jack said "Ah, well that's an easy one to answer. Because James is an idiot who wishes to try and do something that would get a lot of deities angry with him. Not to mention _heavily_ impact the timeline in a _very_ negative way." The heroes who heard this widened their eyes, wondering just what it is that would earn the ire of so many powerful beings.

James though, clenched his fists as he struggled to get back to his seat, 'That boy's a danger to us all! Do those so-called _gods_ not see that?!'

"Anyway, moving on." Jack paused to take some more candy, "This one is from Son of Nightmare, who wrote 'Good day everyone, hope you're doing swell. To Weiss: A love letter from one of the Jaune's married to you, Emerald: A photo of her and her daughters together with Joker Jaune over Batman's body, and Adrian: Miniature onesie of Jaune's'."

Some envelopes and a small box floated out of the bag and flew to the recipients.

Weiss blushed as she got the letter. Against her better judgement, and the glares of some of her friends, she opened the envelope and started to read the letter. The more she read, the more prominent her blush became. After she finished it, she closed the letter, placed it back in the envelope, and put it inside her purse. 'Perhaps I was too hard on the blond doofus.' She thought as she remembered all the times she was mean to him.

Ruby and Pyrrha were gnashing their teeth together, 'No fair! She's had her chance, He's mine!' The two thought. The latter of whom hugged her Jaune doll and pulled its string, "_I'm glad that you are my partner_." He said, making her smile as she snuggled it.

Vernal and Neo were seething, wondering if it would ever be their turns, and if they will receive something as sweet.

Emerald meanwhile, got the photo with a happy smile. She looked to see her little twins, Peridot and Garnet, grinning happily while holding up peace signs with their hands. Next to them was Jaune in his Joker costume and Emerald wearing her usual outfit, but with a light brown duster coat over it. Both were pointing and laughing beneath them, that being a demasked Batman tied up with rope and glaring at the family. Written at the bottom was "Babies' first capture!" She cooed at the sight, brimming with pride at her daughters' first successful trap. She hugged the picture close and folded it to place inside her pocket. She then punched Mercury in the face once she saw that he was snickering at her.

The feelings from Vernal and Neo grew.

Moving on. Once again, Adrian was covered in light, before it faded to show that his outfit changed again. This time in a mini-version of Jaune's onesie. Saphron and Terra instantly fell in love with the outfit, saying how cute and snuggly he looked. Adrian looked at himself and pouted, he liked the uniform, but when he felt the material of the outfit, his pout turned upside down, and he hugged himself, liking how it felt. His previous outfit appeared in a mini case next to the pen, with the buster blade inside, waiting to be played with.

"Alright." Jack said, "Let's see what we go- oh dear." Everyone looked at him with worry.

Blake asked, "What's wrong?" A feeling of dread settling in.

He was quick to dismiss the worry, "Oh, it's nothing _bad_, per say. Just unexpected. It's from LightnessXdark, and he simply gave Adrian The Magic Muffin from the Fairy Oddparents universe."

"Ok..." Blake said slowly, "And what's so bad about a muffin? Muffins are good for him." She looks to a now displeased baby, "Unless he's allergic."

Jack shakes his head, "It's not a question of whether it's healthy or not. Actually in this case, its pretty awful to taste." He makes a face of disgust. "However, this muffin is special. It's a special, wish-granting muffin. When one takes a bite, it can grant wishes that are free of any rules set by the gods. _Anything_ the person could _possibly_ desire, from ruling the world, to changing the very laws of creation, would be at their fingertips with no cost other than stomaching the flavor."

Now that got everyone's attention. Anything they could ever want? Could it free them of the Grimm? Could it give the Faunus the respect they deserve? Could it grant the ability to resurrect the dead?

The Cotta-Arcs were now afraid. Glynda asked, "Isn't that too much power for one so young? What if someone of ill-intent were to capture it?"

Jack nodded, "You're right, which is why LightnessXdark put down some stipulations. First, the muffin is bound to him. Only he can use its powerful abilities. Second, to make sure that his wishes don't screw you guys over too badly, he can only use his wishes when he's older, about 7 years old."

Many of the people who wanted to use the powerful pastry groaned in disappointment.

Suddenly, a light flashed in front of Adrian, and once it faded, everyone saw a muffin colored purple with stars decorating it. On top was a candle with another star at the end. It then disappeared, no one knew where it went, though now Adrian felt a small itch in his right arm. He scratched it and it soon went away.

Now many were wondering how they could influence the boy for their own purposes. James scowled as he watched the family. 'These Arcs are becoming more and more of a threat, perhaps I need to arrest more than just the one.'

*Clears throat* "Ok, so this one comes to us from SGArkosfan (AN: "Hey, I wanna get in on the action too!"). 'To Vernal: I give to you a photo album of your daughter from the previous viewing. To Weiss: a concoction to cure alcoholism. I'm sure you know who it's for. And lastly, to Coco: a new pair of shades that comes with a built-in HUD. Good luck!'"

Vernal got her gift first, and she was ecstatic. Opening up to the first picture, she saw herself holding a newborn Amber. She smiled at how happy her other was. She then went to look at other pictures, cooing at the cuteness that is her child.

Weiss got her present next, and she was shocked that someone would give this to her. She instantly placed it inside her purse for safekeeping.

As that was happening, Coco was making grabbing motions with her hands as she looked at the cool shades. Once it got close, she took off her previous pair and put the new ones on.

Jack then continued with reading from his list, "Ok, so this one comes from Jack Redhawke, 'To Winter: A Jaune Arc SOLDIER plushie'."

The little guy levitated from the sack and floated over to Winter. The woman grabbed it with a raised eyebrow. She did notice that the doll looked the same as the Jaune they last saw, even with a tiny smirk adorned on his little face. She moved it to the side and saw a string attached to his hip. Pulling it, the doll said "_Embrace your dreams and protect your honor... as soldier!_" She smiled softly, and when no one was looking, hugged it close to her chest with an inner squeal.

"Now then, this one comes from BlackPhantom247. 'For Cinder: One free therapy session.'" He was interrupted when Roman, Neo, and Tyrian all laughed at what Cinder got, with the woman clenching her fists as steam started to erupt from her body. This in turn caught Ozpin's attention, wondering why he felt something familiar within her. "Anyway, 'To Tai: The super shotgun from DOOM. And to Ozpin: Gandalf the grey staff and robes.'"

As the gun levitated and went to its intrigued master, and the free voucher for 1 therapy session went to a fuming Cinder, Ozpin was engulfed in a bright light. As it faded, it his outfit changed to that of a matching hat and robe in weathered gray colors that one would think belongs on a fairytale wizard, a belt with a pouch attached to hold his robe together at the waist, a large fake white beard, and lastly, a staff made of wood with a white gem attached at the top end.

Many paused to see what the hell Oz was wearing now. The man himself was not amused by the change in wardrobe. Either from the unexpected change, the itchy beard now adorning his face, the clear poking fun at his previous status as a wizard, or that he wasn't wearing anything underneath robes, could be anything really. 'I can feel a draft coming up my legs.'

As the shock wore off, Salem, Raven, Qrow, and surprisingly Glynda were the first to laugh at the ridiculousness of his gift. "Looking good there, Oz!" Qrow said as he pointed at the stupid getup. Ozpin grumbled, not really helping his case as with the outfit on, he looks AND sounds like a grouchy old man now. That just made people laugh harder.

Salem thanked the deity for giving her such a wonderful memory, while Glynda thanked them for all the blackmail material she could possibly get as she took pictures of the new Ozpin.

As for Tai, once he got the shotgun, he was instantly enamored with it. It looked incredibly badass, with the shiny barrel, 'and is that a grappling hook? Cool!' This would go great for fighting Grimm and keeping dirty boys from trying to defile his little angels. 'I saw how Yang reacted to that other version, and the two once that other girl got that love letter.' He thought of the day he was introduced to that boy... it will not turn out well for him.

Cinder just took the voucher and placed it in her purse. 'Why would I get this?! If anyone, TYRIAN should've been the one to get this stupid thing!'

As everyone settled down, and the shotgun went to a display case like Vernal's, Jack went on with the distribution, "Now this one comes from Leif De Sylva: 'I would like to give a copy of 'PS I Love You' to Sienna, and a spicy little number for Terra and her wife to enjoy.' Well, that was brief."

A bag and a book came out of the bag, going to the two women soon after. Sienna got hers first, and after opening it to read the first few paragraphs, she was hooked.

Terra though felt embarrassed over the contents inside the bag that went to her. She quickly grabbed it, hesitantly taking off part of the wrapping to see what was inside. Her eyes widened as she blushed heavily. Adrian wanted to see, as all children who are curious tends to do, but Saphron had placed him inside his pen already. She then looked over her wife's shoulder to see what she got. Grinning, she turned to whisper in her ear, "It's too bad we aren't alone right now~." She nibbled her earlobe, causing Terra's blush to worsen, "Perhaps once we go home, I'll model it for you~." That did it, Terra fainted with a massive nosebleed.

*Sigh* "Can someone help her, we still got a lot of shit to go through." Jack said as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. After she was revived by an amused wife, he carried on.

"This next bit comes to us from Zathol. 'To Pyrrha: A Christmas theme scarf and Santa hat that is both warm and comfortable. It's also able to block projectiles, like arrows and bullets, for the one place you apparently don't have armor. *cough*.' Yeah, he's got you there, miss." Pyrrha blushed in embarrassment, especially when her friends and professors didn't move or said anything against the god's claim. "'To Qrow: A box of good luck charms from various cultures around the world minus the rabbit's foot. I don't think Velvet will appreciate that ("You're damn right I wouldn't!"). I bet you would like a Chinese gold cat with a raised paw. Lastly, to Blake: a collar with a bell on it that will ring when she has thoughts of running away or doing something stupid.' Good call." Jack finished as Yang laughed at a grumbling and pouting Faunus.

As per usual on this day, the gifts came out and were magically brought over to the people. Pyrrha got her gift first and quietly put hers on with a blush still present. She did like how the colors matched her hair, and the soft feel of them. After firmly securing them, she went to snuggle her doll in comfort.

Qrow's gift was held inside of a large box that once it got close to him, had a tear rip open the bottom part, spilling all the charms on the floor. "Oh come on!" The man shouted, "Hey Jack! I thought these things were suppose to bring me luck!"

The god nodded, "They are."

The drunk glared at him and pointed to the mess, "Then what the hell do you call that?!"

Jack shrugged, "What, it says that the _charms_ are good luck." he smirked at the fuming man, "Who ever said that the _box_ was too?"

Qrow growled as his sister and brother-in-law laughed at him. He then went to pick up his present, ignoring how Glynda and Ozpin joined in on the merriment.

Blake didn't want to put on the collar, and her partner's insistence on having her wear it wasn't helping. "Come on, KitKat." Yang said with a large smile, collar on hand and jingling its little bell as Blake looked away with a huff, "you don't wanna make a god angry like that Torchwick guy, do you?"

Blake sighed, "No..." She then lowered her head in defeat and grabbed the stupid *tremble* NICE! She grabbed the nice collar and placed it around her neck. Yang snickered as Ruby and Weiss tried to make her feel better by complimenting her on how the color matched her clothing style. To her utter shame, she began to play around with it, hearing its little jingle as she pawed at it with a blush of mortification.

Jack smirked as he used his tablet to take a picture, 'That's just precious.' He then cleared his throat and pushed forward, "Soda-fiedPsycho gave us this next one. 'To Roman, for you, you'll get a brand new pack of cigars and lighter with the Scorpion from Mortal Kombat's hellfire inside. Next, I would like to give Mercury actual legs but... That's beyond my power of gifting. Enjoy!' By the way that still counts."

Mercury's jaw dropped at this, while Emerald and Neo laughed at his misfortune. 'Beyond his power, my ass!' He thought with a sneer, while a small box and a lighter went to a smiling Roman.

"Thank you kind sir or madam," Roman said with a smile, "for the gift, _and_ the entertainment." Looking at Mercury's fuming face with a chuckle. Taking out one of the cigars, he sniffed it and liked how it smelled. Before he could use his new lighter though so he could take a puff, they both disappeared. "Hey! What's the big idea?" He turned to a frowning Jack who pointed to a baby Adrian playing with a better feeling Zwei.

"There's a baby here, you idiot. I refuse to allow the smoke to damage his little lungs." Roman was about to complain, but an elbow to the gut from a scowling Neo put a stop to that.

While that was happening, the teachers and students murmured to themselves what the god meant by giving the boy actual legs.

"Let's continue." Jack scrolled down to see who was next on his list, "We have another short one, Lonyer182. 'Hello, for my favorite bunny Velvet: A teddy Jaune, with a string that once pulled, will say 1,000 reasons why he thinks you are beautiful; and to the fashionista, Coco: Clothes, made by one of Jaune's sisters.'"

Velvet squealed as a teddy bear with Jaune's clothes, even the bunny hoodie, floated to her. She immediately pulled the string and waited for what he thinks of her. "_I love how her hair dances to the wind, and has a warm smile that just puts my heart at ease._" She grinned as she hugged the teddy close to her chest as she tears up in happiness.

Many who held a crush for the blond glared at her.

Coco smiled at her partner as a hanger with expensive looking clothes floated to her. She looked excited to wear them, but she noticed that unlike Adrian or Ozpin, she wasn't engulfed in a light. 'Oh well, they look fabulous still. And since Jaune's sister made them, I know who to ask on where to get more.' She grinned as she put her clothes inside her closet.

"Ok, let's see what we got next." Jack adjusted his glasses, "This one comes from the Composcreator. 'For Blake, a copy of the Kama Sutra.' Bet she'll love that. 'For Mercury: A Boot to the Head. To Sienna: a whip, the kinky kind; and Terra: indestructible glasses.'"

The gifts started to float out as a boot was dropped into his hands. Once Blake got her book, she opened it and started to read it. As she went deeper and deeper, she blushed heavily with a drop of blood escaping her right nostril, 'Oh dear lord, it has pictures!'

Ruby wanted to see what the deal was, but Yang held her back, remembering what happened the last time she held a book that belonged to the cat girl.

Terra thanked the god as she replaced her glasses with the new version, trusting them that it was adjusted to her eyes, which it was.

Sienna blushed as she got her gift, thinking back to her vision from before and thinking up new ideas for the bedroom.

Mercury flinched at the mention of the boot and where it was going to go. He then noticed that Jack was holding it. "Umm..." He says with hesitation. "Yes?" Jack asked with a grin. "Aren't you just gonna, you know? Let the boot fly off to nail me?"

Jack shook his head, "I'll tell you what, Mercury. I'm a fair man/god. I'll give you a 10 second head-start before I let go of this boot."

Mercury chuckled nervously, "Hehe. Uh, y-you're kidding rig-"

Jack reared his arm back to throw the boot, "5 Mississippi, 6 Mississippi."

He didn't know what a 'Mississippi' was, but seeing how it seemed to be counting up, he decided it was high time to run, "Okay," he says as he gets up and walks backwards, "I guess I'd better get going."

Jack looed at him, before chucking the boot at him. Mercury yelped as he ran away, much to the amusement of the rest of the audience. He got behind a shelf, and watched as the boot sailed past. He popped his head out to mock the god, "Haha, you missed me!"

"My bad." The boot made a U-turn and came back. Hearing something coming from behind, Mercury turned around, only to have the boot crash into his face. Luckily, as he fell, he didn't crash into a shelf.

As the audience laughed, Jack went back to his tablet, "Let's see here," he said, ignoring Mercury's glare as he returned to his seat, "This one comes from 12interestingname34. 'To Ilia- Ninjas of Love: "Flowers, The sexual misadventures of a bisexual cat Faunus and her harem of lovers." As written by Jaune Arc.'"

Ilia received her novel with a blush, desperately wanting to read it. Blake and Ruby did too once they heard the title.

Jack smirked, "I'm glad you like it." Ilia simply ignored him. Shrugging, he said "Ok, this next one comes from Kemar372, 'Hey guys! I wish to give Cinder a pyro ring that give her control over fire; for Hazel, an afterlife book that let's him write to his sister and gets replies back; for Watts, a book on Einstein's theories, hope they do you well; and to Emerald, the Grudge blades that curse those wounded by them from the TMNT Universe, 2012 edition.'"

Said gifts were sent to the people.

This time, Cinder was pleased with the gift, noting how once she wore it, her powers finally felt stable, 'I wonder what will happen once I have all the Fall Maiden's powers.' she thought with a smirk as her eyes glowed with unbridled power. She also noted that the band was gold with a small red jewel imbedded in the middle, and loved how it matched with her dress.

Going over to Hazel, he started to tear up as the book was given to him, hesitating on what to write down first.

As for Emerald, she saw a pair of sickle-like Kama coming towards her. Once she grabbed them, she noted how similar they looked to her own weapons when unfolded. thinking of how dangerous these were, and not knowing if they could pass through Aura, she didn't wish to test them out and instead placed them in a case that appeared next to her. 'These are so cool, I can't wait to use them, maybe on Mercury for when he annoys me.' She smiled in glee at the thought, knowing that it wouldn't take long for him to do that.

Lastly, Watts got his present and immediately went to absorb the knowledge hidden within... Wow, not even a 'thank you', the jerk.

Shaking his head, he went back to the list, "This one comes from Indigo One, 'Hi guys! To Zwei: a dog whistle, because every dog needs one; and to Tai: a bouquet of Roses, for him to wish that Summer would return to him soon.'"

Zwei whined at the mention of a dog whistle, remembering how painful it was the last time. Same with Blake and Velvet, both of whom glared at a nervously chuckling Ruby at the reminder.

Adrian pat the puppy on the head to try and make him feel better.

Tai got the bouquet of roses, thinking back to all the good times the two shared before she was taken away. Yang, Ruby, and Qrow all hugged the crying man. Raven sighed as she remembered her time in team STRQ, before shaking her head. Telling herself that it was in the past, she soldiered on.

Giving the slightly grieving family some time, Jack waited until he felt that they were well enough to continue.

"Now this one is from YiteWrite, and she wishes to give Zwei an unlimited supply of doggy treats."

Zwei completely forgot about the whistle, wagging his stubby tail and running around in circles with glee. The family smiled at the happy dog, feeling at ease by his innocent behavior. Especially by what they saw next.

Adrian laughed at the funny way his friend was acting, before in a flash of light, a medium sized bag materialized next to them. Crawling to the bag, which opens up at his close proximity, he looks inside where he sees a large amount of treats in the shape of bones. Hearing a whimper, Adrian looks to his left to see Zwei peering at him with begging eyes. "Ah." He says, reaching inside the bag, and pulling out a treat. Zwei bounces up and down in glee. The boy smiles, and raises his hand with the treat. Zwei follows it, preparing for what comes next. Adrian then throws the treat as hard as he could, Zwei instantly jumping up and snatching his snack, landing with a happy whine as he sat down and munched on his snack.

Most of the heroes cooed at the two of them. Glynda imagining that the baby was blond with blue eyes, blushing as she took a recording of the adorable scene.

Winter and Yang remembered how cute their little sisters were, and how they raised them in place of their respective mothers. They both wondered if they would be good parents to their own children. Looking to their younger siblings, they felt assured that they would.

Jack chuckled at the two of them, then went on to the gift giving, "Now, this one comes from Wolfang21. 'To Yang, a packet of 30 free massage passes from Jaune for your pleasure. For Watts, spending a day with the Joker Jaune, hahahaha.' Oh don't be such a baby, Watts; he ain't coming now, so get back in your seat! 'To Glynda, a honeymoon photo of you and Jaune from the Drunk ArcWitch Marriage universe, and Finally Vernal, I give you Jaune's bunny sweater.'"

Watts was shaking in his seat as Cinder laughed at him, and Tyrian was clapping at the thought of seeing his 'son' again.

Glynda blushed as she got her gift, looking at the picture of a drunken Glynda and Jaune. Both looking at her with happy smiles while holding put their left hands to show matching wedding rings. Ozpin, stoking his fake beard, said "Congratulations are in order I believe, correct Mrs. Goodwitch?" He grinned at her while Qrow snickered to himself in the background, _luckily_ remembering what happened the last time he openly made fun of her.

Everyone who held a crush was seething at a different woman marrying Jaune, the students felt especially threatened due to her more mature beauty.

The woman remembered her fantasy and blushed harder. Meanwhile James was seething in jealous rage.

As Yang got her gift, she looked to Jack in confusion. "Umm, Ok? Why is this special? I mean," she moved to correct herself as the area started to rumble, "uh, is there any particular reason for these vouchers being all that great?" She flinched at her attempt to soften her words failing.

Before the place was rocked with an earthquake again, Jack raised his hand, "You know what, that's fair. I never showed you how amazing those massages are." He points a finger at her, "Here, consider this a freebee."

Yang raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean b-" suddenly, she was overcome with great pleasure from her back as she felt invisible fingers trailing down her shoulders, unraveling and easing her muscles.

It was so cathartic, that she simply leaned into her chair and moaned loudly.

A lot of the audience didn't really know what to do here.

The teachers felt embarrassed, feeling it improper to hear a student of theirs making those kinds of sounds. Though Glynda and Winter pouted at how relaxed she was, and mentally complained how they needed those massages more.

Saphron instantly went to cover up Adrian's young ears.

The students blushed as they saw Yang _really_ getting into the massage, many of the ones with crushes grumbling at the unfairness of it all.

Pyrrha was snugging her Jaune-doll even more while pulling the string, "_How many children should we go for?_" She started daydreaming about multiple little blue-eyed redheads and green-eyed blonds running around a large backyard. Picturing herself sitting on a rocking chair while cradling her enlarged tummy with a soft smile. Her man out working as a professional Huntsman. The vision caused her to smile deliriously as she hugged the doll closer to her.

Tai and Qrow were desperately trying to ignore her moans of pleasure, closing their eyes while plugging up their ears and humming loudly, vowing to kill the little fuck for laying his filthy hands on her.

Raven was intrigued at the effectiveness behind the massage, wondering how it would feel for her, 'Probably pretty good.'

Vernal was glaring at the girl, wishing that it was her that was being massaged, imagining that she and Jaune were inside her tent, both naked while he was pampering her after a long, hard day of pillaging.

Even Cinder and Salem felt a bit jealous, thinking that they were more deserving of having a good backrub, what with having to deal with their underlings' annoying tendencies every day and wanting to relax every once in a while.

A minute in, and Yang just stopped saying anything and just melted into a heap on the chair, nearly passing out. After 5 more minutes, the massage ended, and she started to shake herself as she stretched with a loud, hearty groan of satisfaction.

"Well?" Jack asked as he grinned, "How was it?"

She beamed at him. "That was awesome!" She gushed, stretching some more, groaning as she said, "I haven't felt this great in weeks! I'm soo gonna use these vouchers next time!" She grinned as she held up the packet with an awed look. 'Maybe next time, I'll let him do my ass.' She giggled at the thought, not completely _un_serious.

"Well, now that you know how great his massages can be." She nodded enthusiastically at him, "We can continue." He looked back to the list, " This one comes from dirtrevor, 'To Hazel: a book about techniques that will help control your anger.'"

By this point, he was writing to his sister, feeling regretful for his past actions that stemmed from his misplaced anger towards Ozpin, so he graciously accepted the book.

"This one's from Randy the Ranger, 'Qrow: One may drink, but let it be a drink in remembrance of friends and family. For you, A flask with a Robin, Goldfinch, Crow, and Raven sitting a branch together engraved into it. Raven: Hero's may fall, Villains may succumb...but legends? They never die! For you, A new sheathe for your Ōdachi, golden ravens with little flocks of other Corvids following them decorating it. Tai: A brother's duty is lasting, a husband is never-ending and a father is infinite. To you, A photo album containing photos from your world's team's greatest moments, wedding photos and lovely photos with Summer and what seems to be proud moments of Ruby and Yang...further pages are empty and await moments to fill them.'"

Qrow received his gift first, and he smiled at the designs in it. The meaning behind the depiction was not lost on him. Suddenly, a brief flash of light enveloped the thing. He looked over the flask as quickly as he could, then turned to Jack to know what happened.

Jack looked to the drunk and said, "What? I know that you'll be using that flask more often the your old one, so I simply placed the cure inside that one."

Qrow nodded and hugged the flask close to his chest.

Raven was the next to receive her present, and she inspected the craftsmanship of the sheath. The birds were beautiful, tough unlike her brother, she didn't understand the significance behind them. She did like it though, and silently thanked the god for the impressive gift.

Tai's present caused him to softly smile. He, with Ruby, Yang, and Qrow, looked at the pictures that laid within. The first one was of them when their team first formed, another was of a moment where they all hung out in the city despite Raven's wish to simply train for the day. As each picture was observed, the adults felt more nostalgic. The sisters were simply amazed at how happy they were when younger, and how beautiful Summer was at their age. Ruby hoped to be as pretty as her when she grows up, 'Come on milk, do your thing!'

Taking a bit, Jack went on with the gift giving. "This next set is from animecollecter, 'I got one for Yang. Nero's devil breaker arm, Punchline. For Raven, Sephorioth's sword. For Blake, a shadow hellcat from the first DMC game. For Emerald, a boa constrictor familiar with a lightning element affinity. Now I have my four chosen, so I have a suggestion for you Jack.' Oh wait, this next part's for me." The gifts dispersed as Jack continued to read silently, 'if you have to chance, do a (Nero) Jaune where he fights (Vergil) Raven. Use the final mission on DMC5 as a reference if you have not seen the universe yet. I'll see what I can do, though no promises. Maybe after the next movie.'

Yang got her gift on the form of a grey gauntlet with red and gold highlights, with small triangular fins on the forearm. The hand is colored black with red fingertips, while the forearm has a three-tone grey pattern resembling military aircraft camouflage. She thought the thing looked cool, though could use more yellow and less red. 'This'll go great with my gun.'

Jack to a moment to explain some of the functions. "Ok, so Yang," getting her attention, "you got a gauntlet that can basically help you fly." At the announcement, she started to grin madly as she looked at her weapon with newfound interest. "So, the side-fins on the sides there? Those unfold into a pair of small wings and a set of tailfins unfolds at the rear. You have to take it off to get the thing to work. The wrist and hand remain largely unchanged, save for a set of red spikes flipping up from the knuckles and thumb. Remember though, this can only help you fly for a few minutes, it's original purpose was to give a person a rocket-powered punch."

As Yang cackled, taking her new weapon out for a spin and under the supervision of her dad and uncle, Raven got her gift.

Raven received an Ōdachi, with a note attached. 'Masamune' She read, "Must be the name." The color of the guard and hilt are entirely black. She examined the blade, not finding any flaws within the blade, and with a hair taken from a wincing Vernal, she found out just how ridiculously sharp it was as well. Grinning, she placed it inside her new sheath, only to watch them both disappear and reappear inside a nearby case. She sighed, hoping to keep it, 'though I suppose, if the others didn't get to keep their weapons, neither could I. Still not fair though.' She pouted a bit, crossing her arms.

Next up was Blake, and after watching her partner accidently steer herself into a pillar and Jack taking the thing away while scolding her, she saw what looks to be a living shadow coming up from the ground in the shape of a sabretooth tiger. As cool as her new pet's entrance was, she was still terrified at the look of the monster. Seeming to sense this, the shadow shapeshifted into a kitten version of the beast, licking its little paw to give itself a more adorable look. It worked as she went over and picked the little thing up, and held it gently like it was her child. "Oh, aren't you just precious." She says as she pets the thing's head. "I think I'll call you, Yami." The little girl seemed to like it as she, and it's certainly a she, reached up and licked her cheek.

Jack then went to explain her new pet, "Ok, so hellcats. That thing is a feline demon, she can shapeshift as you just found out, and possess an immunity to melee attacks until her body is dispelled. She's ancient, so she has a ton of experience in fighting humans with bladed weapons, and with some tinkering on my part is adapted to fighting modern firearms as well. She has several moves, like the Guillotine attack, which you'll have to find out yourself. It's a cat, so she's pretty docile when not attacked; though once in a fight, she will become extremely aggressive, chasing her prey down and attacking them relentlessly."

As he explained everything, Ruby and Penny were taking notes. Ruby because she saw Blake cooing at her pet, and wasn't paying attention to most of it. And Penny because she found the information fascinating.

Then it came to Emerald, and she got her boa. It was sparking a bit as it slithered up to her. She was hesitant at first, but as she reached down to pet it, she wasn't shocked surprisingly. The thing rubbed its head on her hand, causing her to giggle, before it started to slither up her arm. Seeing it reaching up, Emerald sat back in her seat. It then stopped, looking directly in her eyes, then a feminine voice started to speak to her in her mind, "_Missstresss_?" She gasped, "Are you...?" The snake nodded, then she smiled. 'A talking snake! Awesome!'

Mercury was sneering at the thing, "Gross, how could you like having a snake for a 'familiar'?" placing air quotes in the air, "The thing's so slimy and gross."

The snake didn't like that, so she quickly turned to Mercury and lunged at him to bite his face off, stopping a few inches from his nose. He flinched a bit as Emerald laughed, then smirked at the thing, "Yeah, nice try but I know that your kind doesn't have any venom."

Jack immediately cleared that bit up, "Uh, while that may be true in the case of her species of snake, I made it so that she _does_ have venom in her bite, very deadly venom in fact, and a bite that can pass through Aura. Also, did you seriously forget the whole 'lighting affinity' part?"

Mercury widened his eyes as he looked at Jack describe how Emerald's pet could've killed him if he was just a bit closer to it. Hearing a hissing noise, he turns around to see that the snake was still close, and was smiling at him while hissing, the quick intervals between each hiss indicating that it was chuckling at him. He opted to shut up and sit farther away from the two.

Emerald laughed, mentally thanking her new snake, 'I think I shall call you Toxic.'

Jack smiled at how Mercury reacted to his little surprise, and how he moved to a different seat in fear, then he went back to the list," This one is from OnePunchPlayer, 'For Coco: you get a ghost,' Not that kind of ghost, calm down everyone. 'To Ilia: A Symmetry Scout Rifle. For Terra: Lore Book: Ghost Stories, digital edition. Lastly, to Hazel: Raze-Lighter.'"

Ilia got her gift first, and it was beautiful in her opinion. She looked to Jack for the specks on her new gun. "So, the 'Symmetry'. This is a scout rife that can fire 260 rounds per minute, 20 per clip. Can fire fully and semi-automatic. It has an Arc-seeker mode which can track any enemy you target and explodes upon impact. It also has increased range in the form of a double scope, lastly, it comes with an ammo pouch with hundreds of clips." She grinned as she hugged the weapon close, before it disappeared and went to a display case next to her.

Terra got her gift in the form of a large tablet. She was fine with her gift, she wasn't a fighter, and she loved books, so this was one of the best gifts she could've gotten. It's books, so she didn't go to Jack for an explanation and just went straight to reading it.

Hazel got his next. He got a great looking sword, thinking that it could match his style. He then turned to Jack for an explanation. "The 'Raze-Lighter', is a special sword that has a special attack called 'Phoenix Uppercut': A powerful single-target swipe that will knock your enemy into the air. The uppercut also has a tendency to kill, or nearly kill, just about any enemy, even with Aura. It is also indestructible. Without the attack, it can still take out 2 Human-size beings in a violent slash with a disintegration effect.'" He looked at the blade, seeing the potential in using it, but still mindful of his anger.

Coco by this point was excited to get her gift, but was very disappointed to see what amounted to a floating cube appearing. She expected something cool and while the thing looked cute, especially with her preferred colors, she wanted something that could go boom. As the others, she looked to Jack to explain while the ghost floated near her head. "Right, so the Ghost. That thing is fairly cool. It can act as a companion, scout, and mechanic. It can crack most codes, so good luck to anyone trying to keep your information secret; illuminate darkened areas like caves, repairs technology like your weapon." he paused in his explaining as many of the students groaned at missing an opportunity on having something fix their weapons for them, Ruby and Penny especially, and the adults were sweating at something that could hack into the CCT so easily, many are now planning to _acquire_ her new toy. "And can inform you of incoming hostile threats. It's also basically indestructible, only _very_ powerful kinetic forces can damage it, as well as shift to a different dimension to avoid detection/capture." Now those people were having to scrap their plans, knowing that they could never get it. Coco meanwhile was grinning as she held her Ghost in her lap while petting it like a dog.

"Now these next few are a bit short, first one is from Madko Ota Sanchez. 'A present for Velvet, a marble style Velvet carrot cake made by Jaune Ramsey.' Ooh, lucky. That Jaune is one of the best cooks in the multiverse!"

A three tiered cake soon materialized out of nowhere, as it couldn't fit through the bag's opening, and floated over to Velvet. She giggled at the what the cake was made out of, and marveled at the beauty of the cake. As with Ruby, she decided to share as Coco helped her in slicing and distributing the cake to their friends. As everyone took a bite, they were amazed by the delicious flavors they were experiencing.

"It's like a party going off in my mouth!" Penny shouted as she dug in, not really learning from her past experience. Luckily, Nurse Ruby was there to save her.

Many simply groaned in satisfaction, while the villains were watching in envy, wanting what they had.

"Next is from IHateGenericCereal, 'I give Roman some Griffon repellent.'"

A canister of repellent went to Roman, with a note saying '_You'll thank me later_.' written on it. He raised an eyebrow, but shrugged. With how Cinder's plan relied on the Grimm attacking, and with himself being in an airship as it happens, this spray would no doubt prove helpful.

"From Dragongod54, 'For Saphron, small outfits of every Jaune they see for Adrian with special properties.' Wonder what that means."

This came in the form of another portable closet, smaller than Coco's due to the differences in size. A very happy Saphron looked inside to see that only Adrian's original clothes, and the SOLDIER costume was placed inside, but she also noticed a purple suit for some reason. There was also plenty of room for more to be stored there, along with a note. Taking it, it reads 'Indestructability, automatic size change for the boy's growing form, and instant cleaning so you wouldn't need to do it. Hope you like it Super Mom!' She grinned, giggling at her title.

"From serratoroceanic, 'From Me, I would simply like to give Penny and Neo a Pumpkin Pete's hoodie, same edition as Jaune's, and to tell them good luck with the hunt. This is serratoroceanic, Signing off!'"

Penny and Neo happily accepted the gifts, though the former did blush as she received encouragement to pursue the nice blond. Neo just felt happy as she was feeling a bit left out by this point.

They were soon wearing the hoodies, loving the feel of them, and giggling at the cute rabbit logo printed on the front.

"And from Delekmaster, 'Please give my gift to Vernal, a tiny apple tree with it growing some apples.'"

A small tree suddenly sprouted out of the ground next to Vernal, scaring her a bit. She looked at the tree that unlike normal ones, reaches to just over her head while sitting down. There, on some branches, are bright red apples. Feeling a bit hungry, she took one and bit down, loving the sweet flavor and the juice was very filling. Raven also took one for herself, causing her to pout a bit. "Thanks." Was her simple compliment to the god.

"From RevanMorningstar: 'Nora, you get the godly axe Stormbreaker from the Marvel Uni-' You are NOT wielding that thing so close to a baby Nora! 'To Cinder: A Phoenix egg, and to Salem: Rule Breaker from the fate series, use it to break your curse.'"

Nora received her gift. As it floated to her, the axe emitted some sparks of electricity. Before she could take the new weapon, and get a power boost out of it, it went directly to a display case next to her. She pouted at not having to use her new baby, though her friends quietly breathed sighs of relief. 'Thank goodness, I do not want to have to deal with an overactive Nora right now.' Ren thought as he wiped some sweat from his brow.

He, like the rest, felt the weapon humming with power, and didn't want Nora to use it without being in a safe environment, i.e. away from them.

As for Cinder, her ego got a major boost as she received a legendary phoenix. Sure it was an egg for now, but soon she would have a legendary, _fiery_, bird for a pet. 'Yes, this certainly suites me quite nicely.'

For Salem, she was shocked to know that a god had given her something that she wanted for so many centuries. As did Ozpin. Everyone else was simply confused, what curse?

Soon an iridescent and jagged dagger with a thin, brittle, and blunt blade materialized in front of her. By the shape and bluntness of it, she knew that it wouldn't serve as an actual weapon, but she didn't care for that. She looked to Jack as she didn't know the ritual on how to use it.

The god nodded, and stood up. Going over to the floating dagger, he grabbed it and pointed it to the Grimm Queen, her followers tensing at the action. Salem waited impatiently as the god did the ritual that would free her of her burden. "Magic's principles, divine providence, the principles of the world... All creation... I will send back everything to their origins. Rule Breaker!" Just then, a rune of power appeared off the point of the dagger, soon enveloping her in a red light, the audience looking on in awe at the sight. The ritual circle then disappeared, leaving a woman vastly different to the one they grew accustomed to.

In the place of a humanized looking Grimm, sat a human woman with fair skin, pale platinum blonde hair and light blue eyes. Her hair was done in a half-bun style, a small bun on the top, and the remainder of her long hair hanging at the bottom with most of her bangs tied back, besides several large locks that framed her face to her left.

For clothing, she wore a white, two piece dress consisting of a sleeveless, diagonally overlapping white pleated top with a raised, pale blue collar adorned with a aquamarine colored rhombus-shaped crystal on the clavicle, surrounded by two smaller white rhombuses; her long, high-waist skirt colored white with a faint purple tint, adorned with white diamond emblems and white wavy lines near the bottom hem, ruffled around the waist and completed with a purple sash.

She also wore gray, circular earrings and a pair of dull brown bracers, and her long fingernails were painted pale lilac.

This was the Salem of old, the one who fell in love with a young adventurer, and drowned in sorrow when he was taken from her.

Ozpin started to tear up, seeing the human version of the woman he loved once. He quickly wiped his eyes so that no one can see.

The audience was shocked at seeing the difference, Saphron though was secretly smiling happily at this.

Salem herself was stunned, looking at herself with an awed expression. Her skin, for so long a pale white, was returned to her original color, a mirror appeared in front of her, showing her full appearance to her. She started to tear up, "I'm free." She whispered as she gazed at Jack as he walked back to his seat. Sitting down, he notices Salem, sees her muttering "Thank you." He simply smiled and nodded.

The heroes didn't know what to do, though seeing her happy expression over her curse being lifted caused many to relax. The villains were wondering what just happened, with her faction thinking of how this change would affect their plans moving forwards.

Ozpin wanted desperately to go to her, to hold her as he had done before...But he stayed. He was afraid that doing so may trigger her rage, may cause her to dissipate her good feelings. And so, he stayed with a smile hidden under his beard.

Taking a few minutes for them all to calm down, Jack started his list again. "Alright, so this next one is a pretty big one. From UnlawfulGentleman, 'Since I feel the need to be a little shit/inappropriate as humanly possible while under the guise of holiday cheer, I figured I'd gift you with Christmas presents. To James Ironwood - Batman: Year One, wherein Two-Face kidnaps a young (twelve to thirteen years old) Dick Grayson and nearly beats him to death, BECAUSE BATMAN DIDN'T PREVENT HIS DISFIGUREMENT. Should give you plenty of perspective on what a special piece of shit Two-Face really is and why maybe you should take a look at yourself before judging all Jaunes as evil when you're identifying with a grown ass man who tied a young boy down so he could have a go at murdering him. Better than coal! XD'...Holy hell that's dark. 'Neopolitan - A poster of the Joker, A poster of New 52 Joker, at that. Once again a mean gift, because this is the Joker who literally cut off his face (for no real reason beyond "HOLY SHIT, WTFBBQ GUYS, LOOKATMEI'MINSANEANDGROSS!") and wears it as an ill-fitting mask. Maybe this could help convince you (and maybe others) to running a river for a different villain Jaune.'"

He paused as a few vomited out of disgust at the thought of a version of the blond doing that. He himself had to stop to prevent his snacks from making a return trip.

Feeling better, and hoping for something not as horrific, he hesitantly continued, "'To Saphron Cotta-Arc - A rather large hot pink strap-on. I thought about what a young couple who ALREADY HAS A HOUSE might need and my mind went to a blindingly pink seven to eight inch strap-on that'd feel amazing for the receiver, with a vibrator for the one wearing it.'"

Saphron blushed heavily at that.

"'And for Weiss Schnee - A psychic tidal wave of emotion that belongs to Jaune and contains how he truly felt about you up to and slightly past the dance. Because Jaune's a good dude, who while probably seriously had the hots for you, had genuinely cared for you. If not outright loved you. 'Sides, what better gift to give to the girl who has just about everything. Also because I need to make up for being a terrible person with my first three gifts.' Now that's just deliciously cruel."

Weiss looked worried at receiving her 'present', as did the female students who felt threatened for some reason.

"'As from whom to thank: moi. UnlawfulGentleman!'" Just then a picture appeared onscreen of a skeleton in a dapper as fuck suit, who can be found sniffing roses, "'Look me up whilst I'm not engaging in spooky spectacles/rampant crime with the SKELETON ARMY.'"

Like before, the gifts were distributed.

Neo got hers first, with her outright refusing to look. "I don't care if I do piss off a god, I am _not_ looking at a disfigured version of my man!"

While Jack wanted to force her to do it, he _really_ didn't want to relive seeing that picture. So he ordered Mercury to do it instead.

"Hey what the hell man?!" Mercury complained. "I don't have any stake in this!"

Jack nodded, "Oh, I know," he points to the now smirking Neo, "she just happens to be one of my favorites. Now you either see what's inside that letter, or I'll let Nora try out her new god axe on you."

Nora was bouncing up and down in joy, "Please-please-please, I wanna break some legs!" Jack nodded to the hyperactive breaker-of-legs. "Good girl."

Under threat of having his mechanical legs destroyed, 'And most likely something else once she finds out', and under orders from Cinder to go with his orders, Mercury went and opened up the letter containing the picture. Once he got a good look at it, his face contorted to a horrified look as he started to shake. Before long, he turned to the side as he projectile vomited everything he ate that morning. Everyone looked on with disgust, with a hint of curiosity, as Mercury continued to throw up. After a minute of this, and a small pile of puke was erected, Mercury's body and mind couldn't take it anymore, and so he fainted in his chair.

Neo, along with everyone else, was relieved to not suffer like he did. Jack then went over and took the picture from a twitching Mercury. Not peering at the horrific photo, he banished the unholy abomination to the fiery pits where demons can use it to further torture sinners.

Trying to repress what went on, we head over to Saphron, who was now on the receiving end of Terra's teasing. It only got worse when the dildo arrived. Looking at it, Saphron decided to flip the tables on her wife and whispered to her "Maybe you can have a go with this, be on top this time." That did it, and terra fainted again with a nosebleed.

James got his next, and once he got the comic, he started to read. The more he read, the more he felt disgusted with his other self. He was having second thoughts on arresting Jaune Arc when he remembered the specific phrasing the god used when describing the Jaune who cut his face off. 'He used a number, and a clarification.' His eyes narrowed, looking at the stand of Joker-Jaune, 'That Joker was only one of multiple iterations, which means that there is still a chance of our version could still become a danger to us all.' (AN: "Well... He's not wrong in thinking that there are multiple Jokers.")

Finally we head to Weiss, who braced herself for whatever it was she was going to feel, confident that whatever the dunce thought of her would be nothing more than a small crush at best, and a grab for her power/money in the more likely case.

She was proven wrong when a tidal wave of love rushed over her. The innocent feeling of acceptance, of happiness. All those emotions threatened to consume her. Weiss felt a hand on her shoulder, and she opened her eyes to see her sister and team looking at her with worry. She looked around in worry, only now realizing that she had her eyes closed to begin with, and having to deal with Jaune's pure affections towards her. 'He, he never cared about my status.' She started to tear up. 'H-He only cared about me.' Winter, seeing her sister in distress, attempted to comfort her by bringing her into a hug. By then, the dam broke, and Weiss began to cry. 'He loved me.' remembering all the awful things she said, including the last time he tried to ask her out for the dance, 'Oh Oum, what have I done?'

Feeling regret for not noticing how there was someone who genuinely cared so deeply for her, she gripped her sister tight as she immersed herself in the feeling of Jaune's love. 'I need to make things right, but how?'

Her friends looked on in sadness as they saw Weiss bawling over her possibly losing the one person who could have given her what she wanted most. A chance for a loving family.

Pyrrha, despite not wanting to add another rival to watch out for, didn't want to see her suffer. So with great reluctance, she came over with her Jaune doll, and placing a hand on Winter's shoulder, she silently asked for some time with her. Winter, seeing the life-sized doll, nodded to her, understanding clear in her eyes. As she gently grabbed Weiss's shoulders to gently push her back, Pyrrha cam in and placed the doll in front of her.

Weiss was too busy to notice most of this, her vision impaired with her tears, but once she felt her big sister move her body away, she rubbed her eyes to see why Winter did it. As her eyes started to clear up, she noticed Jaune sitting in front of her. Gasping, she rubbed her eyes more to see if it was really him. She was disappointed when her eyes were cleared up fully, seeing that it was just Pyrrha's doll. To the side were Winter and Pyrrha, the latter of which went and pulled the string. "_I don't care about your fame. All I care about, is you._" Weiss teared up again as she went and hugged the doll close, nuzzling her face to his neck as she repeatedly apologized for her horrid behavior, "I'm s-so sorry. I promise that I'll m-make it up to you, Jaune." She said as she hugged the doll close.

Taking a few moments so that everyone can calm down, Jack went on with the list, "Alright, is everyone good now?" Everyone nodded, Weiss holding the doll close to her as she did so. Jack nodded, "Ok, so this next one is from Cur Sombre, 'For Glynda: A Gold Ring with an Emerald crafted by your husband Jaune from a separate timeline that lets your semblance become more powerful, and to Winter: A White Rabbit with Blue eyes from a timeline where Winter and Jaune have a ranch together and raise animals.' Wow, very bad timing on my part, sorry Weiss."

Weiss just looked down as she held the doll closer, nodding in acceptance that Jaune would seek out other women if she didn't accept his advances, 'And how many me's did Jaune suffer through?' she mentally asked while looking at the various women that already received thoughtful gifts from him. Then she remembered that she holds a love letter from him. With one hand still holding the doll, she reached into her purse and took it out. She then started to read it again, now knowing how he really felt and without the previous thoughts that warped her understanding. The more she read, the more love she felt emanating from the gift. She smiled softly as she held the letter to her chest. 'I will certainly make this up to you,' she placed the letter back in her purse and hugged the doll, 'my dork knight.'

As this was happening, Winter and Glynda got their gifts.

Glynda was first, and she was shocked by the beauty of the craftsmanship. The emerald was embedded into the gold band to make sure that it wouldn't easily come off, and the band itself was decorated with intricate runes around it in sweeping, yet very elegant, lines. 'No doubt to strengthen my power and control.' she thought as she smiled at the thoughtful gift. She then placed it on her finger. Funny enough, she placed it on her left ring finger. She slightly blushed at the implication, yet she made sure that no one was watching, doing so only once everyone's attention was still focused on the Schnee girl.

After Weiss had calmed down, Winter received her present. A snow-white bunny with gentle blue eyes materialized on her lap. The bunny looked around at its new setting, before looking up. Seeing her owner, she calmed down and started to nuzzle the hand that Winter brought down to pet her head. Winter smiled gently as she patted the bunny on the head. "I'll name you Snowball." She whispered as she thought of how her life would be married to the young man, 'Judging by how well-mannered this sweetie is, and how accepting she is in my presence,' she looked to the clearly content rabbit, 'I'd say that we are happily married.'

Jack continued after Weiss was more settled. "Now then, this one is from turn forever you and me, 'For Roman: A Death Crystal from the Rick-&-Morty Universe along with specific instructions on how to use them to avoid dying. I hope this helps you lie, steal, cheat, and survive for a long time. For Terra: A vial of Nano machines linked to your brain that can create anything you will them to, great for housework or for creating lasers to vaporize would-be attackers or bill collectors. For Mercury: A red lantern ring that's been nerfed so that you're as strong as a maiden when wearing it, along with the oath to activate it 'With blood and rage of crimson red, Ripped from a corpse so freshly dead, Together with our hellish hate, We'll burn you all—That is your fate!' Your rage will keep all enemies away and make even Cinder think twice before betraying you.'"

Well, since Merc is still out, the ring simply materialized on his finger much to Cinder's jealousy. She glared at the ring as she patted her phoenix egg. Meanwhile, Emerald hoped that no one would speak of his new toy. Salem was intrigued by how his servant's servant could rival a maiden in strength, as was Ozpin but for opposite reasons.

The students were reluctant to believe that maidens were a thing, still believing that the stories were nothing more than fairytales. Though that didn't stop many from snickering at his continued string of misfortune.

The adults were worried, knowing the truth and not liking how someone now has the power to rival them.

James was thinking of ways to steal that ring, even ways of just cutting off the finger to get it.

Next was Terra, and she had a vial with glittering gray sand inside appear on a stand next to her. Just then, she felt something burrowing inside her brain. It wasn't too painful, only as much as a mild headache, and once it was gone, she felt _something_. She didn't know what, but she knew that it was coming from the vial. She smiled as she realized that her mind was linked to the nanites, and thanking the god for a way to protect her home from unwanted guests, 'Let's see you try getting my money _now._'

Last was Roman, and he grinned as he got his crystal. It was blue, and faintly glowing, reminding him of blue Dust.

Before taking it, a note appeared in front of him. Thinking that this was the instructions, he quickly read it. 'Death Crystals, found on Forbodulon Prime. Allows those who wield it to foresee their death in multiple possible future scenarios. Can attain these visions by mere touch. Crystals often act as a _very_ effective combat aid by providing an insight on how certain a cause of death will be. **Drawback Warning:** It is unable to reveal the circumstances leading to the death of user in each scenario.'

He nodded, then he gently grabbed the crystal. He suddenly had his mind transported to where he was on top of an airship getting eaten by a Grimm (he sees his death in RWBY Vol. 3). He didn't know the _exact_ circumstances behind his death, but with him knowing Cinder's plan, and his role to it, he realized that following her would only lead to his own demise, "Possibly Neo's too." He whispered. Just then, the crystal was transported to a glass case. He started to think of plans that would allow him to escape his current bondage, preferably without becoming a pile of ash. 'Maybe I can use the blond kid. She certainly seems fond of him.' He then remembered the last gift, and instantly placed the repellent in his breast pocket for easier access.

"This next one comes to us from francisjrnguni, 'I just want to give Mercury his Semblance back!' Um," he paused to look at the passed out kid as many of the students were openly laughing now, "sure."

Mercury, still unconscious, had a sudden glow emit around him, indicating that he got his Semblance back. Since he's still knocked out, he wouldn't be able to tell that he got his powers back. Emerald grew worried, knowing that he just got even stronger; while Cinder scowled, believing that if something wasn't done soon, then he could become a future threat to her.

Salem was thinking the same. It seemed that despite her transformation, she still had a bit of a malicious streak in her.

"Now, this is from PandaWarz, 'For Adrian: A Stuffed Panda that can sense when someone wants to hurt the owner. Has defense mechanisms to help in protecting the owner. To Zwei, a Dog Vest that has a bunch of gadgets in it like an umbrella so he doesn't get puked on again. And for Adam: a cursed ring that will turn you into a female version of yourself. Once put on it can't be taken off. It will only come off once you accept humanity.'"

Adrian was first, and he clapped happily as he got a cute stuffed panda. He loved it, waddling on over to hug the thing. His moms were instantly by his side and taking pictures, believing that him in his little onesie was even cuter.

Zwei was excited for the prospect of not getting puked on again, and hoping that it would end as bad as the dog whistle or the talking collar. A vest was materialized and magically placed on him with a HUD placed over his eyes. The first thing he did was have an umbrella come out to make sure that he was protected. Seeing that it was, a mirror appearing in front of him proved that, he jumped for joy, blessing the god for the protection.

As for Adam, he had his 'present' magically placed on his finger. Then his features started changing, first was the hair. While it remained in color, it was lengthened to about mid-waist, and was more curly. Next came the horns, becoming less like that of a bull and more like a cow. Then came the chest. Since Jack didn't want to hear any whining from the changed Faunus, he had the suit change to a dress to make sure that 'she' remained decent, the boots turning into flats so that she wouldn't have problems walking. And it was a good idea as her breasts were already straining the previous clothes' fabric, going past Glynda's size in the end. The legs became more filled out, along with her ass, to keep her center balanced. All-in-all, Adam turned into a beautiful young woman, a woman that instantly tried to take off the ring.

Everyone was shocked. Sienna and Ilia were dumbfounded that Adam turned into a woman, though the latter blushed as she saw how pretty she was.

The students were surprised that a god would do something like that. Blake's brain fried as she saw her ex had a sex change of sorts.

The adults were confused, believing the same as the students, though Oz sighed as he had a ton of experience dealing with deities and so did believe that one could do something like this. Same with Salem.

Cinder was chuckling at how ridiculous the bull Faunus's situation was, though she did feel a bit self conscious over how stunning Adam made as a woman. Same was with Emerald, actually all women felt the same. A guy becoming more pretty than actual females? That's gotta be a real hit on their pride. The male villains didn't really care.

Jack looked bored as he watched the bull try to take the ring off, "Oh no, someone stop him." He says quietly as there was something written by the god that detailed what would happen if the ring was forcefully removed. 'Should be happening any moment now.' A sudden glow started emanating from the ring. 'There it is.'

Adam stopped trying to take the ring off as it started glowing. "Ok," Jack said, getting everyone's attention, "it appears that I glossed over something when it came to your gift, Adam. PandaWarz also put down that 'If you try to force it off, you will stay female.' So yeah, good job there. oh, and 'If it comes off on it's own, you can choose if you want to stay female or not.' That's it."

Adam was pissed, 'How dare that stupid god do this to me! ME accept Humans?! Never!' Due to the mask, no one noticed that she was starting to cry a bit at the unfairness of it all.

Jack scratched his chin, wondering if he would get rid of this costume soon, "So, let's continue. This one is from thegermankaiserreich, 'Guten tag, to Raven: a bouquet of Middlemist Red flowers, from a Jaune who is married to you.' Oh, that's sweet. 'To Winter: a Luger P08 from Imperial Germany made in 1911.' Awesome choice, real weapons nut myself. 'Lastly, to Ilia: A small black cat plushie with amber eyes and a bow on an ear, wink wink.'"

As listed, the gifts went to their receivers.

Raven raised an eyebrow at her gift, though was satisfied that she married him. 'From what I've seen of him in other universes, he is no doubt very powerful, and doesn't take shit from anyone.'

Jack, noticing her look, said "Ah yes, Middlemist Red, otherwise known as Red Camellias, symbolize love, passion, and deep desire; and is one of the most rarest flowers in the multiverse." She looked at the flowers with more interest, seeing now how stunningly beautiful they actually are. Running her palm gently over the petals, she smiled at the sweet gesture, 'One of the rarest in the multiverse, huh? You sure know how to make a woman feel special.'

"In fact, those flowers don't even exist in Remnant, so if you were to plant them," a small bag of seeds instantly appeared in her armrest, "and sell them, they would net you quite a large pension."

Now she had thoughts of sitting on a throne made of lien, laughing maniacally as people were on their knees, begging for her flowers. The bouquet that Jaune gave her sitting by her side.

Vernal grumbled at the sweet, and profitable, gesture as she watched the bouquet with envy.

She placed the bouquet of flowers in a vase that appeared on top of a nearby pedestal.

As for Winter, she marveled at the pistol, feeling how the grip felt right. Looking to Jack for an explanation, he gave one. "Right, so the Luger P08 has an 8-round magazine, or 32 with a detachable drum; can fire effectively for up to 50 meters; a muzzle velocity 350–400 meters per second but has surprisingly very little recoil; and a rate of fire of 116 rpm. That weapon has been in service for over 100 years, and almost 20 wars, including two world wars."

The Huntsmen were awed at the brief history behind this pistol. For a gun to have been in circulation for over 100 years, and to have served in multiple wars without being recalled, it was incredible!

Many of the students wanted one for themselves, either to actually use one as a primary or secondary weapon (Blake, Ren, Weiss, and Coco), or to see if they could look inside its inner workings to see if they could make any improvements to their own weapons (Pyrrha, Ruby, and Penny).

The teachers were simply impressed with the service record behind the pistol. They knew that in this more advanced age, weapons would be outdated after a period of a few decades, so for a _pistol_ to have not fallen in that category after so long was spectacular.

Winter looked pleased with her present, feeling honored in holding a piece of history that hasn't been shelved. Especially when this weapon has been around longer than after the end of the Great War of their world. 'To not be discontinued after over a century of war and innovation, surely this pistol is the superior model.' As her gun went to a display case, she smiled as she saluted the weapon in pride. Her bunny was in a nearby pen so that she would be fed properly.

Ilia was simply happy to have the plushy, being instantly reminded of Blake as she looked at its adorable face and bow. She hugged it gently in her chest while thanking the god for the cute thing.

"Alright," Jack pauses to eat another piece of candy, upset that he was almost out already, "This one comes from TheMadShowman. 'For Winter, a happy family photo of her, Weiss, Whitley, Klein and your mother with a personalized note attached. For Roman, a box of finest cigars from his home World, again with a note attached. For Tyrian, Leatherface's personalized chainsaw from the 3rd movie. You should know the drill by this point. And for Tai, a set of the multiverse's most comfortable pajamas. Do I need to say it? With love, a raving madman.'"

Winter got her present first, wondering what a photo of them all happy looked like, Weiss got up from her seat to look as well. In the picture, they saw a happy Willow hugging a smiling Winter, a grinning Weiss, and a quietly laughing Whitley. Seeing the note attached to the upper right side, she opened it to read, '_He's your brother. He may be a little shit, what little brother isn't? What matters, is that he needs someone to guide him. Someone to show him they care; cause so far he's been left with a negligent drunk and abusive prick. It's a miracle he turned out so well. With love, a raving madman_.' Now they both felt terrible, hoping that it isn't too late to mend broken bridges as they gaze at the photo with longing.

Going to Roman, he was happy to have another box of fantastic cigars, though like before, they disappeared before he could smoke any, this time by a glaring Neo who refused to allow him to smoke next to a baby. Seeing the note now gently hovering, he grumbled as he read, '_Smoke 'em if ya got 'em. With love, a raving madman_.' He grinned at the clever usage of words, though he pouted when he tried to get them from his partner, only for her to toss them inside another glass case.

Tyrian was grinning like the madman he was when he got a load of the cool chainsaw, reading the note with glee, '_Use it wisely, you crazy scorpion you. With love, a raving madman_.' He laughed as he thanked his fellow crazy, though that stopped when his cool weapon disappeared and went to a nearby display case. "Damnit!"

Tai got his box of pj's, opening it to see a folded up blue shirt with his symbol over the heart, and a pair of matching bottoms with pockets underneath. The note for him was placed over them, so he took it and opened it to read, '_Rest is no joke. Just make sure not to sleep-in too late. With love, a raving madman_.' He smiled as he felt the fabric, 'I can't wait to use these when I come home!'

"Moving on," Jack continued, "this one comes to us from shirou6655. 'Hello everybody. Hope you all are having a wonderful time. Now let's get to it, for Ren: an album of photos of you and Jaune from the Crisis Core Universe.' The photos will be added to the one you already got, don't worry. 'To Pyrrha: a Jaune doll that says all kinds of sweet phrases to you, to Neo: a coupon for an unlimited endowment of the best ice cream that exists. And to Ruby: your mother, Summer, brought back to be with you.'"

Neo, feeling happy for another gift so soon, bounced up and down as she got the coupon, instantly using it and had a tub of ice-cream appear in front of her. Seeing the flavor and wondering what it meant, "What the hell's a 'Fourth Flavor'?" Shrugging, she opened the lid, a spoon appearing in her hand, and took a piece. Her eyes widen as in her mind's eye, she was a child being served a plate of ice-cream for dessert. Her mom and dad looking down at her with content smiles. Mini-Neo smiled happily at them as she dug into her treat. Coming back to real life, she teared up as she hugged the large carton.

Pyrrha was happy for having another Jaune-doll. This one looked like a Chibi version of the man she loves, giggling at the cuteness of it. "I think I'll call you, Jaune Junior." She pulled the string of Jaune Junior, and awaited the praise, "_Hey Pyrrha, w-wow! I never realized how pretty your eyes are!_" She giggled at the awkward phrase, thinking 'That's my dorky partner.' while kissing his little cheek.

Ren was happy that his photos were inside his album, sighing in relief that he wouldn't just get piled by multiple scrapbooks. Opening it up, he saw Jaune and himself in those SOLDIER uniforms, looking at the camera as Jaune held up a certificate in pride. Looking closer, he saw that it was addressed to him. 'He looks so proud of me,' glancing at the buster blade, 'I do hope that you're watching from above. I won't let your sacrifice be in vain.'

The most shocking part was when Summer was mentioned. Tai, Qrow, and Raven were stunned; Ruby and Yang started to cry; and Glynda and Ozpin were happy to have their friend/student back.

Soon a bright light appeared, before it faded to show a being covered in a white cloak. The person then removes the hood to show what looked liked an older Ruby with longer hair.

She looked around at the assembled audience, and smiled once she saw Ruby and Yang. She opened her arms to them, showing the black battle dress underneath. The two siblings immediately ran to their mother, screaming "Mom/Mommy!" Catching her in a tight embrace, snuggling up to their mom.

The now alive Summer embraced her daughters, whispering "Shh, hush now my little Rose, my brave dragon. I'm here," she kisses each on the tops of their heads, "Mommy's here." She started to tear up as she got to hold her children again, thanking the god profusely for bringing her back.

Tai and Qrow took that moment to make their presence known. "Shortstack?" "Summer?"

Summer looked up from her children, and smiled widely at seeing her teammate and husband once more. "Hey Stilts," she said as she looked at Qrow, "hey Tai." she finished as she turned to her love. She let go of Yang to extend to them. With watery eyes, she said with a happy expression, "Come now, don't leave me hanging." That did it, the two brothers went to her to join in on the hug, their family whole once more.

Raven smiled as she gazed at the woman who was once her leader. That smile diminished as she looked at her ex. 'It's in the past, Summer is your future Tai.' She then glanced at the flowers in the vase, and their significance, with a smile. 'I guess this Jaune Arc is mine.'

The other students were happy for their friends. Same with the other teachers. The villains on the other hand, felt a bit annoyed that they bow had another Huntress to fight against in the future. Though Salem seemed indifferent to the situation, she was secretly happy for the girls to have their mother back, thinking back to her own offspring with a small, but fond smile.

After taking a few minutes to collect themselves, and Summer and Tai sitting together in a love seat, Jack continued with the list, "Alright, we're almost done here people, just a few more. Now this next one comes to us from The Darkness Writhes. 'To Ilia: a Neko from the Nekopara Universe, in the form of a Chibi Blake. To Hazel: your sister visiting you for the holiday. And Tyrian: A copy of Joker-Jaune's outfit.'"

Tyrian laughed as his clothes changed to the Joker's.

A box flew out of the bag and went to Ilia. She was curious over what a 'Chibi' was, but she thought it couldn't be that bad as she loved the toy cat. The box soon landed on her lap, and it started to shift around. "Is there something inside?" She asked herself, before moving to remove the tape on the top. After she did that, the top opened by itself, and what lay inside was something that almost gave her a heart attack from how cute it was. It was Blake, only smaller. Much smaller, with an enlarged head, small torso, and stubby limbs.

Chibi Blake looked at Ilia with happy expression. "Nya~? Are you my new owner?" She then turned around and placed her little hands at the edge of her box. She looked at all the big people, seeing a large version of herself, and her friend Yang. She waved at her, "Hi Yang!" The blond could only wave back, too stunned at seeing a shrunken, more peppy version of her partner to do anything else.

Regaining control of her body, she instantly scooped the little Blake, earning a surprised "Nya!". She looked at her outfit and just loved it. She was wearing a tiny maid outfit instead of her usual one, with a frilly hat replacing her bow. Ilia then had a wonderful idea, placing a now purring Blake next to her, she got out her plushy and held it in front of the Chibi.

Blake looked at the plushy and giggled, taking the thing and hugging it with a cute "Nya!"

Ilia squealed and took out her scroll to take pictures.

As that was going on, a bright light appeared in front of Hazel, before dispersing and showing a tall woman with tan skin and long dark brown hair done in a French braid. She was wearing a battledress with metal plates over her shoulders, chest, and high heeled boots. This was Gretchen Rainart, Hazel's younger twin.

Hazel moved to get up, but Gretchen placed a hand on his shoulder. Gazing at her hazel eyes, he expected disappointment for his misdeeds, despite the love he felt when writing to her. But she simply smiled and went to sit down next to him to reconnect in the flesh.

Smiling at the family reunions, Jack went on with the list, "So this one's from LucasVAMP, 'For Glynda- Divine Headmistress; a godly A.I to help with paperwork, schedules, keeping a eye on troublemakers, changing dresses, yes it can do that among others that a person _actually_ leading a school may need, since we all know that Ozpin does nothing. The A.I by default is housed in a beautiful bracelet, but it can be changed. And to Cinder= End Bow; a bow forged by the Dragon of the End, Me, from its very essence and quenched on his blood, has his aura and the power to kill gods. No one other than you can use it, and it will always be with you. It can turn into the most cute mini dragon, still powerful, that loves snuggling.'"

Glynda was happy to have something to help her with her duties, glaring at Ozpin for the reminder that she does everything while he sits on his ass drinking coffee all day.

Salem sighed, 'So he's still like this, even after all this time.'

Ozpin merely took it, along with the laughter from the students, in stride. Stroking his fake beard as he looks off to the side, "I have no idea what that being's talking about." Causing Glynda's glare to deepen as she placed the bracelet on her left hand, willing it to become a gold bracelet with a chain that links to the ring to cover for the ring placed earlier.

As for Cinder, she was salivating at the prospect of owning such a powerful weapon, 'MINEMINEMINE!'

A bow, made of black obsidian, materialized in front of her. A glow emanating from it, along with purple energy forming into a 'string'. As she drooled, the bow turned into a baby dragon. Disappointed by this change, she was nonetheless happy to receive yet another legendary beast. And she did admit, in her mind at least, that the black scales and large, glowing purple eyes made it look both terrifying and adorable.

The dragon looked at her, drawing closer. Knowing what it wanted due to the god's writing, she placed the phoenix egg down on a nest that appeared next to her and patted her thigh with a sigh and roll of her eyes. The dragon thrilled and jumped for joy, immediately using its little wings to glide over to its spot, and snuggling to her.

Emerald was congratulating her boss as she patted her own familiar, "Wow, Cinder. That thing's pretty beast."

Cinder smirked at the praise, "Naturally Emerald. This creature is mine, so why shouldn't it be powerful?" The dragon preened at the compliment.

The heroes meanwhile, were greatly disturbed by this turn of events. A villain in possession of a weapon that could kill gods, AND her being the only one to wield it? That sent a shiver down their backs.

Jack smiled, seeing that there was only 4 left on the list, "Ok, so this one is from warrior of six blades: To Ruby: a letter. Qrow: the Teigu Incursio. The sword Tatsumi and Bulat uses to activate an armor that appears once they call out "Incursio" with full resolve to fight and protect those precious to them! Along with a letter attached. Ozpin: the knowledge of how to cast _Soul Protect_, a spell from the Soul Eater Universe used by Witches to prevent others from sensing the magic inside their souls. It could be of some help in protecting Maidens from those who can sense their powers as I am unsure if Ozpin or Salem have sensing abilities, let alone the maidens themselves. Along with a letter to you. And for Jack: The living humanoid Teigu, Susanoo. Not only because he is an excellent cook, housemaid, helped Akame with chores, and Trained Tatsumi would make him useful to keep around. But Susanoo is also very strong, fast, and durable so if someone becomes unruly or rages like Ozpin and Salem did, he can help restrain them. Even if they damage him he can regenerate himself as long as his core isn't destroyed. I figured you would like it.' Oh yeah, awesome!"

Ozpin received his gift first. A golden light was brightly lit over his head, and he suddenly has the knowledge to cast the spell. His allies smiled at the massive boost to their cause, while the villains scowled for the same reasons. A letter soon appeared in front of him.

Qrow got his gift next. It was in the form of a short sword with a chain link tassel. He grinned at the cool design of it, though he was a bit disappointed when it placed itself inside a case, quickly snatching the letter that was taped to the handle.

Next was Jack, who had Susanoo appear next to his thrown in a kneeling position. As he was kneeling, no one could tell that he is a tall man who looks to be in his late-20's. Though everyone noticed the distinctive, bull-like horns coming out of the sides of his head, causing the Faunus to glare at the supposed Faunus kneeling like a servant. He was also wearing a white robe.

Last was Ruby, and though she pouted at not getting a cool gift like the others, was happy to still get a letter from the deity. She opened up her letter, she started to read.

'Dear Ruby,

Hello, simple and pure soul. To you, I wish you good luck on becoming the hero you always dreamed of being, when I watched you grow and become more mature over time. I saw a part of myself I couldn't help missing. You're naive in a lot of ways, but yet so pure and beautiful in that dream of yours in sincerely wanting to help others. Just as I wish to become a Guardian for those precious to me, while saving the innocent when I can safely do so without endangering those I love. If you are reading this, it means I was lucky enough for my gift to get through and give you time with your mother. How long I do not know, but I figure you deserve it little rose. I wish you and your family to not only be happy with this, but I sincerely wish you all the strength to overcome whatever life throws at you...Together. For as individuals you may be strong, but together...you can do SO much more than any of you could ever do alone. Never forget this, Ruby Rose.

Sincerely with respect, happiness to speak to you, kindness, and honor, Warrior of Six Blades.'

She teared up at the beautiful letter, leaning into her mom as she smiled. "I won't let you down," she says as she placed the letter inside her pocket for safekeeping, "I will always remember you. I wish you safe journeys in your quest too."

Next, Qrow read his. 'Dear Qrow,

when I first saw you and the first tales I heard of you, I thought of you as three things. A cool uncle, a drunk, and a truly skilled Huntsman that looks after those he cares for. You was all three and yet, you are more. You endured many losses and they weighed you down a lot, but you never gave up. You kept fighting the good fight and would protect your nieces with every fiber of your being at any time they need you. When you saved Yang all those years ago is proof of such and I truly respect you for it. Especially with how you left the tribe to find your own path and look after those who truly love and care for you, Qrow. That takes true inner strength of heart, never take that strength inside your heart lightly. Which is why I grant you this, teigu. While it may not be as cool or flashy as Harbinger at first, it has a power I feel will be perfect for you. A power that if you're first impression of it is good enough, it will link with you. Shout out in all your resolve to fight and protect those precious to you as you hold this sword, "Incursio!", and you will find yourself wearing armor that came from Incursio. This armor will grant you strength, defense, time limited invisibility that can be improved with practice, and finally the ability to adapt to whatever your opponent uses against you as the fight drags on. But DON'T go crazy with this teigu, for even as a sword, the beast it was made from is STILL alive. The ultimate adapter of Danger Beasts who helps your armor have those powers in the first place. So keep your will strong, and you will stay the one in control and maybe even gain the beast's respect in time. Keep in mind he is a stubborn bastard, but then again...so are you~ I feel you'll come out on top as long as you keep strong. It might help if you stopped drinking though and blaming yourself. You do what you can and sometimes you can't save everyone, you know this better than anyone, but I know you always did your best and still will for those you care for.

Sincerely with respect, honor, and hope you better yourself into the man who you truly are inside, Warrior of Six Blades.'

Qrow chuckled, liking how the god respected him. He promised that he'll always look after his family, and to lay down his life if it means keeping them safe.

Lastly, Ozpin opened his letter. 'Dear Ozpin,

If you are reading this, it means you obtained the knowledge I hope you will find most useful in protecting maidens in the future from Salem's or others attempts to use them as weapons, kill them, or steal their powers. After all, it will be much harder to track them down if you can't sense their power and that is how many skilled mages track each other, looking for the feel of magic in a person or object. Ozpin, I won't lie, you truly have made MANY mistakes as I've come to realize. But...I would never say you're a bad person. Merely a good man thrown into a terrible situation with an even shittier hand to work with, pardon my language if offense, but I find it most accurate way to describe everything you have endured on your mission from the Brother Gods after they left you to deal with this mess on your own for generations. I know...it's hard for you to trust others with the full truth after being back stabbed who knows how many times through out the ages you two have been caught in this war on Remnant, but you need to let others in. If it helps you any, I give you this advice, sometimes...maybe the question isn't how do you kill the enemy, but how can the threat be STOPPED...Take that as will, but death is not always the answer...and it's not always YOU who needs to be the one to fix things. You can help, obviously, but remember you are never alone. You have people who care and want to make a difference alongside you, but they need you to be honest with them. Something that I recognize will be truly difficult for you, but I have faith in you if you can weather the storm of your fears and their worry once the truth is revealed, that you can make things better in time. Patience is a virtue, Ozpin, one that has served me...fairly well with my personal track record. Maybe it will serve you well too. One can not begin to redeem, if they don't first try to own up for their actions or lack of actions.

Sincerely with respect, kindness, honor, and sympathy for everything you endured for the sake of the many on Remnant, Warrior of Six Blades."

Ozpin smiled, 'These gods,' looking around to the many people brought to them, 'they are certainly not like the brothers.' He sighed, "Oh how I wish any one of you were our lords." He mutters as he looks to the sky. "Then perhaps what became of us would never have happened." He still smiled as he looked back down to the letter, putting it inside his pouch.

Jack took a moment for everyone to calm down, "Alright, almost there people. Only 2 left. This one comes from NoNameNoBrain, 'To Blake- A magazine full of risqué photos of Jaune and Ren, for Watts- a boot to the head.'" Jack immediately moved to throw the boot that appeared in front of him to get rid of it quickly; while a magazine appeared on Blake's lap. Nora immediately tried to take it from her, causing a tug-of-war to occur. 'Good thing I decided to make that thing indestructible for that very outcome.' He thought as he continued. "'And for Tyrian- a personal meeting with his son from the "Why So Serious?" viewing.' Oh boy."

Watts, who was rubbing his face in pain, immediately paled at that news, knowing that his one-on-one with the demented clown was fast approaching.

Tyrian was laughing with glee at the prospect of meeting his son in the flesh, hoping to bond with him like a proper dad, 'I wonder what we'll talk about first? How to screw with people's minds? Oh oh oh! Maybe he'll share his laughing gas with me!' He squealed at the thought of wielding such a deadly concoction.

Suddenly, a clapping noise along with a sarcastic chuckle started to echo off the expanse, "Aha, ha ha. Hehe he, he. Aha." Coming from behind a pillar, a man stepped out of the shadows, clapping his hands one more time before spreading them out like he was a huge reveal, "Well hello there, ladies and gentlemen." He grinned, his scars prominent on his face as he looks to the shocked/frightened audience with glee. "What's wrong? It's like you people seen a ghost~."

The heroes felt a shiver run down their backs as they witnessed the man coming closer to them, the Joker's back!

The Joker laughed as he saw the heroes shy away from him, bowing at the waist as most of the villains and thieves applauded his arrival.

Tyrian was weeping tears of joy as he clapped for his son.

Cinder smirked as she stroked her baby dragon, loving the affect the man has on her enemies.

Emerald, Neo, and Vernal all waved their hands, hoping to get his attention.

The students were terrified. Summer gasped at seeing the scars on his face, holding her babies close in protection as she felt them shiver.

The adults were tense, expecting a fight. Glynda sweating as she remembered how manipulative he was, while James was snarling at the man while lamenting that he couldn't just shoot the clown and rid themselves of his madness. Why not, you may ask? Well because all the weapons were sealed under armored plates instead of glass cases like before.

Gretchen hid behind her brother as she didn't like how obviously crazy the clown was.

Adrian hugged his panda in fear. 'Why is Oncl Jan so scary?' He hugged the bear tight as he closed his eyes in fear.

Saphron and Terra were horrified to see this version of Jaune. 'What's happened to you?' Hearing their son whimpering in fear, they went to retrieve him and tried to shield him from this madman.

Chibi Blake instantly leaped off her seat and went to hide inside her box, the plushy gripped tightly in her little arms in fear.

The Joker reveled in the various reactions, grinning as he looked at everyone. "Isn't this great?" He clasped his hands together, looking at Ozpin first. "Well if it isn't the Wonderful Wizard, Ozpin." He snickered at his own joke, before looking to Glynda "And the Goodwitch of the South." He grinned at her, before noticing what she had on her finger. "My my, aren't we a bit adventurous?" He smirked at her, knowing full well who gave that ring to her.

He then turned to Yang, who was still held by her mother, "Hey mom." He lightly waved at her, confusing Summer greatly, before turning to Pyrrha, scoffing at his 'ex'. He then looked to Tyrian, who was practically vibrating in his chair. He grimly smiled, "Hello, _father_."

He added a _lot_ of venom to the title, but Tyrian didn't care, ignoring it completely as he waved back enthusiastically, "Hi son!"

The Joker turned to Vernal, going to her first as she blushed at him coming towards her. "Hey Vernal." He says with a more softer smile.

Vernal gushed at her man smiling at her, so much so that she couldn't respond and just hugged herself with a giggle.

He then reached over and took her hand, earning a blush from her. He leaned in and gently kissed it, causing her to swoon. After doing that, he turned to grin at an amused Raven. Peering to the side, he hummed as he saw the flowers. Taking one without permission, earning a scowl from the bandit queen, he placed it in his breast pocket. "Hehe, really puts the outfit together."

The he moved on to do the same to Emerald and Neo, gently scratching Toxic's head while the two sighed blissfully. Then, he went to go to Tyrian when he noticed something, or rather _someone_. "Well, well, well..." He says, grinning at the shivering form of Watts, "If it isn't the _squealer_." His grin turns more malicious as he placed his hand under his chin in a mock thinking pose. "Hmm. I seem to remember, supposedly, having a meeting with you later on." Watts gulped.

He then noticed that someone was passed out. He went to sit next to a passed out Mercury, before slapping the back of his head in an attempt to get him to wake up.

Mercury yelped and sat up, looking around in a scared way, before landing his gaze on the Joker who sat next to him. "J-J-J-J-J-J-J-J" He tried to say his name, causing the Joker to smile and lean towards him. "Joker!" He began to hyperventilate, then his eyes rolled into the back of his head as foam erupted from his mouth. He then fell back in his seat, once again passing out due to fear.

The Joker began laughing, hitting his knee in satisfaction. "HAHAHA, Oh baby, HAHA, that was priceless!"

After calming down, he then stood up to talk with his dad. "Alright, let's get this over with."

As he went to converse, Jack continued. "Now this one comes from . 'Neo, Vernal, and Emerald. To you, I give you your children from DK.'"

The three squeal in joy as numerous lights emitted in front of them. As they faded, many girls were shown. They all looked around, before spotting their mothers. "Mom/Mommy!" With shouts of joy, they all ran for their respective moms.

Neo cried tears of joy, holding her little Lucy as she kissed her innocent cheek.

Emerald was the same, holding her family close to her, and repeatedly kissing the tops of Peridot and Garnet's heads. Toxic was slithering inside a pen so that her mistress can enjoy the family moment in peace.

Vernal was hugging Amber close as she silently thanked the god for giving her, her daughter.

Ozpin and Salem only looked at the children with wonderment and love, remembering those same feelings whenever they saw their own children.

The Joker grinned at seeing his spawn, but reframed himself as he was supposed to be talking with his dad.

Jack, seeing only one left, rapidly went to read the last entry and get rid of his outfit. "Now this last one comes from... Oh shit."

Everyone raised an eyebrow at his choice of words, the parents glaring at him for it as they didn't have enough time to cover their children's ears.

Adrian giggled, "Shit! Shit!" Saphron and Terra were mortified, trying desperately to stop him from repeating that dirty word while scowling at the god.

But all that changed when Jack instantly changed back to his regular outfit while ordering Susanoo to clear everything up. He then changed seats, returning his thrown to its original configuration and having the lights return to normal.

Then he went to kneel in front of the screen, all the while muttering in worry. The audience was understandably worried, especially when Jack turned to them and shouted, "What the hell are y'all going just sitting?! Kneel!"

As many were startled into doing so, some like Salem and Raven crossed their arms in defiance.

Glynda, being one of them, asked with a raised eyebrow, "And why should we bow? None of the other gods asked for us to do it." Earning nods from the others who refused to do so.

Jack glared at her, "Because, this one happens to be The KING OF AN ENTIRE PANTHEON OF GODS!"

His outburst, and the message itself, got the rest to quickly kneel, while most quietly prayed that they didn't offend the King.

Just then, the screen glitched on, and a symbol of a crown over a heart with stiches over it in an X pattern appeared. A choir of singers was then heard over the speakers, casting a soft rhythm as they hear the vocalization.

As he got back up, Jack bowed in reverence to the symbol, then told the others that it was ok now to get up. Ignoring the grumbling of a few of the audience, he turned to sit back down, still shaking a bit in fear. Gulping, he said, "This last one is from King-Of-Gods. 'From The King of the Gods, Salem: I bring you the one present you want the most.'"

Suddenly, 4 bright orbs of light with wisps of light flowing behind them came out of the screen, before quickly forming into 4 small girls with various shades of blond hair.

Salem and Ozpin found it hard not to breath properly. Standing in front of them were their children. The mother stood up and shakily walked to them, "Oma, Hecate, Vivien, Circe." She cried as they looked at her.

The youngest, Circe, looked at her and said in a soft voice, "Mommy."

That did it, she ran towards her babies and embraced them. Kissing each one on the top of their heads, she thought 'Thank you, My Lord. Thank you.'

Ozpin wanted to go over and hug his children too, but once more, he let his ex have her moment, smiling at seeing his babies alive once more. 'Although, why did their entrances differ from Gretchen and Summer? Is it because it was a different god doing it?' He thought, but quickly ended up not caring. His daughters were back!

The other heroes smiled at the sight, seeing a mother reunited with her children, even though it was the Queen of Grimm.

The other mothers held their own children tighter.

Saphron was stunned. 'The Four Pillars. The Sacred Four Pillars are here!' She moved to stand, but a sudden look from Oma, and a message to not say anything, caused her to sit back down with a head bow. Terra looked at her wife with a raised eyebrow.

After Salem recovered, and the reunited family sat together, Jack continued with the Lord's wishes. "'From The King of the Gods, Ozma: I give you a way to remove the curse upon yourself. With this item: Immortality, and Reincarnation can be removed.'"

Ozpin teared up, thanking the King of the gods for the wonderful gift. A bottle of Holy Water appeared in front of him, and he took it in no time, quickly drinking it to release the curse on himself, smiling once he felt it take effect. He didn't care that the god used his old name, he was too happy to be free.

Jack continued. "'From The King of the Gods, Nora: I give to you your parents from the Veil of Death.'"

Nora gasped, never thinking for a moment that she would have a chance to have her parents brought back to her.

Two bright lights appeared in front of her, catching the attention of a curious Ozpin, before fading to show two people. The first was a very muscular man wrapped in a fur pelt over his chest, a pair of pants with fur lining the edges, and a helmet with horns on either side. He was bald so no one knew what his hair color was, though his eyes could be seen and they were the same color and shade as Nora's. For a weapon, he wields a massive battle-axe.

The second was a woman with long, wavy orange hair in the same shade as Nora with bright blue eyes. Unlike the brute, she was decked out from neck to toe in sleek silver armor, with Norse runes running down the plates in elegant designs, and a black fur cloak over that. Only her head was left unguarded; and for a weapon, she carried a Viking sword with a black handle and sheath over her back.

Nora cried, instantly running over to her parents. "Mom! Dad!"

The woman, Frigga, embraced her baby girl while the man, Odin, wrapped them both in a bear hug.

"It's ok, my little Valkyrie. Momma's here, and she's not leaving you again." Frigga whispered to her daughter's ear as she cried tears of joy.

Nora smiled, finally feeling the warmth of her parents after so many years.

The Joker smirked as he ruined the moment by clapping his hands, gaining everyone's attention, "As _sweet_ as this little moment is, I think that Dear ol' Jack still needs to finish with the letter."

The parents of the girl glared at the clown, not really affecting him if the exaggerated yawn was an indication, and went to sit with an excited Nora who couldn't wait to present her friends, team, and partner.

With a sigh of relief that this would be over soon, he read "'From The King of the Gods, Jack: A little robot that automatically cleans up vomit as well as serves people food and beverages.' I thank you, My Lord, for your wonderful gift." A little robot materialized in front of him. He thought that it was pretty cute, but unfortunately there wasn't anything to clean right now. So he ordered it to go next to Susanoo.

"'May all your gifts reach you in good health, and I pray that you keep them close to your heart.'" With that, the image on the screen faded and the choir gently ceased.

Sighing at the gift giving was over, Jack went to go take a nap, before remembering one last thing. "Oh yeah, Watts." Getting the man's attention. "Don't think I've forgotten your earlier gift. Your time with the Joker begins now."

The Joker laughed, walking menacingly towards a now shaking Watts. "Oh, this is going to be _fun_."

As Jack reminded everyone, James scowled at the clown with hatred.

Oma noticed this, and said to him, "Hey mister, you should really calm down."

James turned to the girl, and said, "You would do well to mind your own business, little one. This does not concern you, nor do you know of how truly dangerous that _man_ is."

Salem and Ozpin didn't like the man's tone, and glared at him. However due to his new outfit, and Salem's new look, the glares' power was diminished.

Saphron was also glaring at him. 'How _dare_ he disrespect one of the Pillars in such a way! And he better not try to harm my baby brother, or else I'll uses my blades to play hacky sack with _his_ sack!'

Hecate rolled her eyes, "You are the one who doesn't know." She points to the clown as he's chasing a fleeing Watts, "That one is not your Jaune. He is not a threat to your world."

James scoffed, "You do not understand. He _is_ a danger, and deserves to be imprisoned before he can harm anyone."

That got the students to stand up and yell at the General. Winter stared at her superior in disbelief.

The other teachers were appalled by his words.

Qrow was staring at James in anger. "Are you stupid, Jimmy?! That kid did nothing to us!"

The man glared at him. "_Yet_. And I aim to make sure it remains that way." His eyes narrowed, "By _any_ means necessary."

That got the heroes to shout at the man; the students wishing to teach him a lesson, and the teachers wanting to slap/punch some sense into him.

The White Fang members scowled at the General's aggressive stance, feeling it hit a bit close to home regarding their kind in the eyes of Atlas.

The villains were intrigued by this turn of events, wanting to see where this went.

Vivien shook her head and stood up, walking over to a purple orb. "I see that you are blinded by your rage and natural suspicion of others, General." She takes the orb from the shelf, with the audience noticing that Jack wasn't saying anything about that. "Perhaps you should see," she gazes at him with a soul piercing gaze that didn't look right for someone who appears so young, "just how your negative behavior affects your world." She holds up the orb. "I believe that Mr. Jack already explained to you all what this color of orb means."

As most of the audience nodded, a feeling of dread enveloped them all. Vivien then turned to face the screen. "This future regards to how your paranoia, General, forced the hand of many kind and loving individuals." She turned sideways to glance at James, "And caused the destruction of all you have sworn to protect." She then placed the orb against the screen, watching as it absorbed the thing, then turned around to sit next to her sisters.

Many shivered at the ominous way the little girl delivered her speech; and as the lights dimmed, they wondered what the future holds for them here.

Saphron just prayed that the Clan would survive this.

**END**

**Holy Crap! 26 thousand words! My longest chapter to date! Thank you everyone for your gifts. If your username wasn't up here, then I apologize, but there were 45 people who gave their gifts, and only 34 members of the audience +1 god. I'm gonna go sleep. It will be awhile before I post another up.**

**But stay tuned for the next couple of exciting chapters titled: "Revenge of the Arcs!"**

**Hope you enjoy your holidays, and catch you next time.**


	15. Revenge of the Arcs Pt 1

**Chapter 14: "Revenge of the Arcs" Pt. 1**

**Man, a lot of you really enjoyed the last chapter! Tried to do something new with how gifts were delivered, and I'm happy that it payed off! Hope you guys like this one, it took a while to find it as I started working on this on-and-off again for weeks.**

**Now, onto The reviews!**

**Wind Dragon Master: I really hope so too.**

**Siegnir: Since this is a possible scenario unlike the others, this one isn't the full movie.**

**LightnessXdark: If anything, it's even _more_ powerful. A monkey ate a piece, and suddenly the world was Planet of the Apes in there.**

**LucasVAMP: I've thought of that, but as what will be shown here, I'm not that great with writing fight scenes just yet. As for the presents, many of them will be interacting with them offscreen like the photo albums; items like the animals and stuffed toys will be explored as a way for them to feel secure, like a safety blanket for when things are looking bleak; and as for the weapons, well without training there really is no point in them being taken out just yet.**

**Argus456: The Joker will have to leave after the story arc ends. With Adrian in the same area, and how Jaune will be in this story arc, I'd rather not have him exposed to such madness.**

**Red-Water22: I'm actually planning on doing the whole mission set as one chapter for each mission, but it won't be for a long time.**

**Jaunepool: I already decided to give him a speed Semblance. I know that it sounds overdone, but with his emblem being a shoe with wings in the back, and his hair swept back like one would have when going at highspeed, it makes sense for it to be speed based.**

**Again, thank you guys for the love and support so far. One last thing, guys come on. I get that you are trying to be supportive of my personal life, and that I'm not just a dancing monkey XD, but let's all try to be civil here. No name calling and no bullying, please. We are all here to have a good time.**

**Also, I've received a lot of requests for me to do a Full Metal Alchemist episode, and I gotta be honest here, I'll regretfully not be doing it. It's not that I hated the show, so no one think that, it's just that I watched part of the first season when I was a little kid, and the episode where that little girl and her dog was transformed into that chimera, that traumatized me and made me fearful of watching any more of that show and seeing more horrifying shit. So yeah, I'm sorry if I disappointed you guys, but that show _seriously_ messed me up for awhile, and I just won't force myself to watch something so upsetting to me.**

**Now that that's out of the way, onto the STORY!**

**Warning: Major hints to Jaune's Past! (If you don't like what the hints imply, then look back to some of the previous chapters, there were hints sprinkled there as well)**

**Disclaimer in the prologue.**

**The screen opens up to an aerial view of the floating city of Atlas at night, with James' fleet parked overhead like a shield for its people.**

Winter was confused, "Wait a moment, why aren't those ships protecting Vale?" (1)

Jack looked to Winter, "They had to return to Atlas in order investigate just how the White Fang managed to obtain some of their newest hardware, as well as check their warehouses to see if there were any leaks or anything else went missing. For the moment, only a few ships had remained behind to patrol the city in order to find Torchwick, who managed to escape, and search for any clues on their end."

Winter nodded in consent, as did the other adults.

**It cuts to inside James' flagship, where the man is sitting behind his desk, looking over some files. Some were about reports by patrols that were sent after the Breach. Others were about what the Inner Circle was doing. 'Hmm. There's a report of a massive Grimm presence heading towards Menagerie,' he stopped to read this report over more, 'Ozpin was dispatched along with a few of Vale's security forces and Huntsmen to help their militia, thank heavens.' He scratched his chin, knowing that the Faunus would've preferred Ozpin going rather than anyone from Atlas. He narrowed his eyes as he tried to make sense of this new development, "Is this a part of The Queen's plan?"**

Salem rose an eyebrow, she never approved of this Grimm migration.

Cinder was confused as well, although she was also annoyed. 'How is this possible?! I need those Grimm for the invasion!'

Meanwhile, Ozpin scratched his head, wondering why he went to Menagerie personally. 'Perhaps the Grimm are too significant in numbers, prompting my other self to see to the defenses personally?'

**"Hmm," James turned to another report, "It seems that Glynda has taken some forces to Mountain Glenn for possible leads"**

**Seeing the next report, he couldn't help the sigh that escaped him as he began rubbing his temples. "Winter and Qrow are currently engaged in battle over one of the White Fang's known bases." 'No doubt bickering, and overall creating headaches for everyone. Why can't they just flirt like how we did back in my day?'**

Qrow and Winter spouted off denials about them being together, the latter more vehemently than the former, much to Summer's and Raven's delight. 'So much teasing material~.'

Weiss looked at her sister as she made a fool of herself, tilting her head as she smirked mischievously, "So Winter, I didn't know that you fancied older men?"

Winter turned to look at her with a betrayed look as Qrow laughed.

That turned quickly as Summer giggled and said, "Wow, Stilts. I never knew you liked them young before."

Now it was Qrow who looked betrayed.

Off to the side, Eve was extremely pissed that one of her hidden bases had been discovered.

Sienna rose an eyebrow, 'What hidden base? Where is this?' She narrowed her eyes, 'I never ordered such a thing.'

**Just then, he received a notice on his computer that Leonardo was doing his annual 'Grimm Hunt' in Mistral's safari, and wanted to know if he would like to join. He instantly closed it as he held his head with a groan. "Why does he do this every year? We all know that he just pays other people to hunt for him while he lies back in his transport."**

The Faunus in the room felt pride at the mention of the only Faunus Headmaster in recent history, though that went straight to anger at Ironwood for spouting such obvious lies.

**He closed his computer and looked outside his window, thinking over recent developments, like how the Breach happened, and Torchwick managing to escape. That last one caused him to scowl.**

**'This isn't right. How was the White Fang able to move so much heavy equipment to Mount Glenn without anyone noticing?' He leaned back in his chair in frustration. 'How did they manage to infiltrate the school and hack into the CCT?'**

"Wait what?!" Ruby shouted as she, and the other heroes, were shocked that someone managed to do that.

Cinder and Eve meanwhile gritted their teeth at how the plan was being unveiled before everyone.

**He looked around his office, "How?...Unless" His eyes widened, and he booted his computer back up, going for the files on some of the students who are currently attending Beacon Academy.**

**Opening the folder, he started his search. "Unless someone is lying about their intentions, and are instead spies for the terrorist organization."**

Ilia and Sienna felt insulted that their movement was seen as a terrorist cell.

The heroes look to Cinder and her faction, knowing just _who_ that spy was.

**He looked through the roster for students, as he felt that with the coming festival, it would be the perfect time for someone to infiltrate the school. "Let's see here." He goes through the roster of the student body and their credentials for any inconsistencies. "No. No. No. Not her. No. This one has a history of being racist to Faunus. No. No." He mumbled negatives after reading file after file, searching for anyone that could be acting suspicious.**

**After a while of looking at each person with a fine comb, he was left with two possible scenarios. "Jaune Arc, and Blake Belladonna."**

At the mention of her partner being a suspect, Yang stood up and was about to punch the good General, before being held back and forced to sit back down by her family and partner.

**"Blake Belladonna." He started with her, going over her file again. 'It says here that she is extremely talented in her choice of weapon, has excellent credentials, and is a member of the Belladonna family in charge of Menagerie.'**

At that, the students looked over to a blushing Blake, who was twiddling her thumbs.

"So wait, your family is in charge of Menagerie?" Yang asked, getting a sheepish nod in return.

Ruby looked at her, "How come you never told us?"

Blake looked down at her lap, "I was still trying to keep my heritage a secret, and announcing to the world that my Dad is the Chieftain of an island of _Faunus_ citizens wouldn't have helped me with that."

Her teammates were saddened, but nodded in understanding. Yang leaned in and gave her partner a side hug. "Ok, I get it. But no more secrets from us, got it KitKat?"

Blake looked up to see her friends smiling at her, and she nodded with one of her own.

**He read deeper, the fact that her parents were leaders of the Faunus island made him suspicious. 'She went missing for a few days after some supposed argument with her team,' he narrowed his eyes at this, 'however, she was later seen helping to stop Torchwick in a Dust raid.'**

**He backed off at that. He was still curious, so he finished her report, and saw that she was first accepted into Beacon by Ozpin himself. *Sigh* "Well, at least I know that _she_ is trustworthy." If Ozpin himself allowed her to enter the school, then that meant that she could be trusted. For now.**

Blake sighed in relief, glad to not be in the crosshairs of the General, but she became worried for the blond knight.

**He turned to the report of Jaune Arc. 'Let's see, it says here that he was awarded with several honors from his previous school, and his transcripts say that he's rather proficient with his weapon.' He read further, 'However, his battles against other students seem to contradict his credentials.'**

Everyone from Beacon were confused, they knew that Jaune was pretty weak, but if so how was he able to have so many awards under his belt?

Some were thinking, 'If his transcripts say that he is so talented, then how come he's so...not.'

No one noticed Pyrrha sweating bullets.

**He read deeper, "He's also listed as never winning a match..." What? He looked incredulous. "How can he lose so consecutively over the course of the semester? True, there are some very exceptional first years, like Ms. Rose for instance, but statistically he should have won at least once, according to his credentials." He then narrowed his eyes.**

**Going back to the file, he pulled up the boy's transcripts. Seeing the name of the school that was listed, he made a few calls.**

**After an hour, we see the man fuming by his desk. "Those transcripts are fake!?"**

The students gasped, and the teachers looked mortified.

The children didn't know what the hell was going on, but a silent spell from Jack caused them to have a small headache as they got the general knowledge of this Jaune.

Jack sighed as he nodded. "Yes," he says earning their attention, "his transcripts are in fact fake."

At his admittance, pandemonium broke loose.

Most of the students were shocked. Those with crushes were trying to deny his words, the others were thinking over his past fights and couldn't help but feel that it makes a lot of sense.

Yang was pissed that someone lied into getting into the school, thinking that Jaune could've gotten Ruby hurt due to his inexperience.

The teachers were stunned. Ozpin and Glynda were surprised that something like this made it past her, 'How was he able to fly past her/my detection? She/I go through each application with a fine comb!' A sense of dread settled inside at the thought of Jaune being a mole. Maybe not for the White Fang, but for _someone_.

The White Fang were mostly apathetic, same with the bandits. The latter were more intrigued than anything that a young boy managed to find fake papers that good. Amber was scoffing at the idea that her dad would be somthing so simple as a mole.

The villains were intrigued by this turn of events.

Salem and Cinder wondered how she could use this to her advantage.

Mercury, after regaining consciousness again, didn't really care.

The Joker, who after finishing his torment of Watts, was deep in thought.

Emerald was holding her daughters close as they shouted that their daddy wouldn't do something so lame. Same with Neo and hers. Amber just grumbled by her mommy's side.

Gretchen didn't really have an opinion one way or the other, but she did feel that they needed to listen to Jack's explanation. So standing up, she placed some fingers to her lips and let out a loud whistle. *Whistle*

Immediately, all noise stopped, and everyone turned to her. "Maybe instead of denying it or making up excuses, we could just ask Jack?" She finished by pointing to the god.

Everyone took a moment to calm down and looked to him for an answer.

Jack thanked the girl, and prepared. "While Jaune has lied about his transcripts-" he raised his right hand to silence those who were going to say something, "-you must understand that he is not in fact, a mole, and he has done this simply because he genuinely wanted to help protect the people."

The students and teachers were relieved to here this, especially those with crushes.

"But wait," Blake said, "that still doesn't explain why he lied to us in the first place, nor how he accomplished it."

He looked to her with a raised eyebrow, "Did you tell your teammates your secrets? How about you Yang? Tell anyone about your time in Junior's?"

Yang, who looked the most pissed at being lied to, settled down. Especially when her dad looked at her with a questioning look while her mom narrowed her eyes at her, making her start to sweat. She pouted, 'I mean... I _guess_ fake transcripts aren't as bad to the property damage and people I put in the hospital...'

Blake meanwhile blushed at being reminded that she didn't tell her team her past association with the White Fang, while also withholding the fact that with her heritage, she could be considered a princess. 'I really need to open up more.'

Jack then went on to say, "As for how he gained access to those papers, let's just say that a lot of powerful beings wanted him to fulfill his dream."

Now _that_ certainly didn't ring any warning bells.

Ruby felt nervous, "Now, hehe, when you say _beings_..." she nervously chuckled.

Jack narrowed his eyes at all of them, "I mean people with powers on the level of gods."

Everyone went silent, most were wondering how Jaune had gained the favor of such powerful forces. Then they remembered that they are currently in a nexus of the multiverse, and it all focusing on the blond knight. 'Yeah, I guess that makes sense.'

Pyrrha breathed a silent breath of relief that this quasi interrogation was over.

**They turned back to the screen as James sat back down with a scowl.**

**"How could he have gotten his hands on those transcripts?" He shook his head. "No, there's no time to speculate on that." He went back to his computer to see what else he could be hiding.**

**He scrolled down to reports written by some of the professors at Beacon. 'Based on Glynda's report he was becoming more closed off, confining himself away from his friends prior to the Breach.'**

RWBY and NPR felt worried, this was the exact state of mind that Jaune had the last time they all saw him before they were sent here.

**He narrowed his eyes. The more he read, the more he believed that he found his mole. He then searched for his family's history. 'The Arcs have always had a tendency of marrying Faunus, and openly proclaiming equal rights for them. During the Faunus Revolution, thousands of their numbers along with tens of thousands of their allies sided with the Faunus cause.' He glared at this next piece of info, "'A few were even known for supporting, and even joining, the White Fang later on to this day.'" He said aloud.**

That surprised many of the younger audience.

Yang whistled at the number of blonds going off to fight. Ruby was starry-eyed that a large family would fight for such a righteous cause.

Weiss was in awe at how passionate Jaune's family was towards equality, blushing as she recalled the dunce's own persistence in attempting to court her. 'I hope that you'll give me just one more chance.'

Coco and Velvet were wondering if any Bunny Faunus DNA was mingled in to grant the Arcs such numbers.

Blake blushed at the mention of Jaune's family marrying Faunus. 'I wonder if he'll like my ears?'

Nora was awed at the many Arcs that were out there, 'I wonder how many presents Jaune-Jaune gets for his birthday?' She imagined a literal mountain of boxes, and thought of herself climbing it. Placing a flag with her face on it while proclaiming that 'Mount Arc' has been claimed. She giggled as her mom and dad hugged her.

Said parents nodded in respect for the family choosing to fight for a noble cause, thanking Oum for having a member of such a noble house leading and protecting their little lightning bug.

Ren was wondering how the Arcs managed such large numbers, 'They must have been around for centuries.'

Pyrrha was in lala land, picturing herself expanding the Arc bloodline with her own gaggle of offspring.

The White Fang members were shocked to hear that such a wealthy and widespread family had supported them for so long.

Sienna was thinking of how she should... _thank_ the boy for all the support that his family had to their cause, 'And apparently continues to lend.'

Eve was thinking something similar, much to her own shock and disgust after realizing what she thought. 'I swear, I will get my revenge on that god!'

Ilia wondered if she met any Arcs during her time with the organization.

The bandits wondered if any of them would join the tribe, or perhaps the Arcs could offer them protection in exchange for their safety.

Raven rubbed her chin in contemplation, 'Clearly many of them are capable warriors, with a history like that.' She glanced at the human Salem, 'they could even give some measure of protection from her,' then to the flower vase, "I just need to provide some _leverage_." She muttered as she started to rub her stomach, thinking of strong little raven heads with blue eyes.

The teachers, knowing this, didn't react as their students. Although that did not stop the feeling of pride in some of them for knowing that several Arcs in their lifetimes.

Ozpin smiled as he remembered certain members of the Arc Clan over the course of this Millenia long curse.

The villains were shocked to hear that a single family could field such high numbers for battle. Cinder wondered how effective they could be for an army. Emerald wondered how big the Arcs' numbers were.

Neo thought of all the children that the Joker had, and nodded her head as she felt that it made sense.

Speaking of children, Amber, Peridot, Garnet, and Lucy were all puffing their chests out in pride of their lineage. Then they wore confused expressions, 'Why am I proud of this? Papa never mentioned his family history.' (2) The spell only working as a base for knowing this version of Jaune, not his family history.

Salem felt some happiness at hearing about this family managed to grow, though she had no idea why. She then held her alive again children closer to her.

Oma was smiling softly at hearing about some of the exploits of the Arcs, feeling a sense of great pride stirring within her; same for her sisters. She looked to Saphron, and hoped that she would remain strong during this future scenario.

Said Arc was beaming with pride at her family history, hoping that the Pillars were proud of them.

Everyone went back to watching the screen as they saw James doing something.

**The man quickly reached for his scroll and dialed the team he sent for the Vytal Tournament. The leader of the team answered with a salute. "General, sir. How may I be of service?"**

**James smiled briefly at seeing the professional student, then went on say "There may be a potential leak in Beacon's Halls." His eyes narrowed. "And I may have found the person responsible for the Breach and the possible release of Torchwick. Your orders are to take your team and arrest this man. And if he resists, terminate him."**

That got the students to gasp.

Ozpin glared at his friend. "James, that last order is completely uncalled for!"

Many agreed with him, quite vocally I may add.

James crossed his arms, "Oz, be reasonable. The boy has lied, escaping the notice of someone who can be considered a living lie detector." Glynda blushed in embarrassment. James shook his head, "I am merely taking precautions so that no more people can get hurt."

The heroes all grumbled at this, not liking how the man could be so callous but couldn't deny that without Jaune around to explain himself, they wouldn't be as forgiving as they are now.

The children of Jaune glared at the man who dared to announce threatening their papa, 'I would love to give you a nice, big... _smile_.'

Saphron was snarling at the man who so nonchalantly said that he would order the death of her baby brother, 'I swear, if your soldiers try anything to hurt my brother...' She grasped at the blades that were still shrunken and tied to her necklace as her eyes briefly flashed red, the blades becoming warm to the touch. '...Then I can't wait to watch you burn.'

**Flynt Coal nodded, but then looked a bit apprehensive, ribbing the back of his neck nervously, "Sir, is this legal?"**

Winter was disturbed by her leader's actions, "No." She whispered. "This isn't legal. This isn't _right_." She held her Jaune doll close, hoping that he would surrender and no one gets hurt. 'Or worse.'

**James narrowed his eyes, "Explain."**

**Flynt rubbed the back of his head, "Well, I mean, was this cleared up with the Council, or Headmaster Ozpin?" James ceased his steely gaze and simply nodded, much to the teachers in the audience's disbelief.**

**"Yes, this order came from the Ozpin himself in fact."**

"I would never order such a thing, and you know that James!"

**He lied, but trusted his gut that something was hidden by the young man. 'And besides, I'm sure Oz would want to thank me for sniffing out this traitor.'**

Ozpin snarled at the man behind his beard, "I would never thank someone who would threaten one of _my_ students!" The students felt at ease at his declaration while the teachers nodded in agreement.

Salem blushed at the passion behind his words, remembering how much it affected her in the past. She looked down at her smiling children. 'Well, these four are proof of how his words used to affect me.' Her heart started beating faster. (AN: "Yeah, _used_ to.")

**Meanwhile, Flynt saluted and said "It shall be done, sir." Then the line went dead.**

**James sighed as he leaned back in his seat. He knew that his team will get the job done, they were the best that his school had to offer. He stopped by ****a nearby intercom and issued orders for a few of his pilots to escort him to Atlas Academy after Dawn. He then went to go take a well-deserved rest.**

**In Vale, we see Jaune Arc walking rather quickly down the sidewalk, almost as if he was late for something.**

Everyone wondered why the young man was in such a hurry.

**Unbeknownst to him, team FNKI was tailing him. "Why's he in such a hurry?" Neon Kat asked in a whisper to her partner and leader.**

**Flynt shook his head and whispered back, "I'm not sure, but probably he's going to rendezvous with some of his White Fang buddies for further instructions."**

Winter gnashed her teeth at James' use of his own students for a capture mission. 'Why would he use his students rather than a dedicated strike team from one of the remaining ships?'

**Neon nodded and they once more silently tailed the young man as he entered a, rather tall, hotel. They waited a few minutes before they entered after him.**

**Thanks to their third team member, a cheetah Faunus and Neon's girlfriend named Kim Possible (3), placing a tracking chip on the guy before he left the school, it wasn't any trouble to find him again.**

**Meanwhile, with Jaune, he was walking to the elevator, stepped inside, and pressed the button to the penthouse suite. He waited anxiously for the elevator to stop at the correct floor, fiddling with Crocea Mors as he waited. Once it stopped and the doors opened, the audience immediately sees that there was only one door on the floor.**

**Jaune pulls out a key from his pant's pocket that was sent to him and opened the door, showing a long hallway that leads into the penthouse.**

By this point, everyone was wondering whether this was a possible nefarious meeting, or a secret rendezvous with a _special_ someone. The ones with crushes hoped not, but were preparing to glare at the hussy that stole their man.

**Walking past the hallway, he sees an old couple, a Human man and a Tiger Faunus woman, sitting in a nearby table with a small box laying on top.**

Now they were just confused. Why was he seeing two people that were clearly too old for anything evil.

Ozpin and Saphron though, gasped at seeing these two, knowing exactly _who_ those two were.

**He smiled happily as they stood up to greet him, and went to embrace the two, "Hey Grandma, Grandpa."**

Many of the people in the room gasped.

Ruby got up and shouted, "Wait, that's his grandparents?!"

Ozpin said, "Yes, those are his relatives." He turned to glare at a now paling General. "They also happen to be two of the Four leaders of the Arc Clan as well as prominent members of Mistral's Council, beloved by many in the Kingdom." As he said this, he began to think that that was the true reason behind these 'powerful beings' lending Jaune those papers.

Everyone was stunned.

Blake, Ilia, and Sienna smiled at seeing a Human/Faunus couple, proof that the two species can coexist. 'I suppose he would like my ears.' She thought as she saw him hugging his relatives, noticing that the woman's Faunus traits are her tiger ears on top of her head. They were also happy that another Faunus made it into such a high position of power.

Raven raised an eyebrow at the old man, seeing that while not a body builder he was still packed with muscles.

Yang and Frigga whistled in appreciation of the strong built the old man had.

Tai and Odin didn't really appreciate that. The former reaching over to smack the back of his daughter's head; and the latter subconsciously flexing his own set of muscles, causing his wife to giggle at his immaturity.

Saphron was shocked at seeing her grandparents here, that surprise turned to dread once she remembered the Atlas team coming to arrest Jaune. Adrian clapped his little hands at seeing his great-grandpa and ma.

Eve was glaring at the 'traitor' for mingling with a filthy human, although her cheeks turned red at how the couple looked before Jaune hugged them. Picturing herself and a certain blond at that age. She closed her eyes as she thought, 'Whatever is making me think these vile thoughts, stop it!' (AN: "Hah! That's all you, lady!")

**After hugging them, he placed a kiss on the cheek of his grandma, and shook hands with his grandpa, earning a few "aww's" from some of the audience.**

**"Hello, my grandbaby, how are you?" his grandma, Jeanne Arc, asked while looking him over. Wondering if that old good-for-nothing 'Headmaster' was feeding her grandbaby right.**

Oz felt a little insulted, sputtering while Glynda and Qrow were snickering next to him.

The students also giggled as well, remembering the food fight they had and how some of the food they used were hard enough to use as weapons.

**His grandfather, Jacob Arc, chuckled and gently pulled his doting wife off their poor grandson. "Easy sweetheart, easy. He looks fine to me," he looks to Jaune and winks, "right, my boy?"**

The students smiled at seeing the love this family had.

Ruby and Yang hugged their mom, while Nora did the same with her parents. *Giggle* 'I got my parents back!' She thought with a giddy smile.

Weiss and Winter were a bit jealous that Jaune had such loving family members. 'The dunce is lucky to have such wonderful people.' Weiss thought as she hugged her borrowed Jaune doll.

'If I were to court him, will my children receive the same love?' Winter surprisingly thought as she looked at her doll, then to her bunny. She smiled at the physical proof of their marriage.

**Jaune nodded, happy to see his family again, but was still confused as to why they summoned him here.**

"Wait, so Vomit Boy didn't even know why he was supposed to be there?" Yang asked as Jack shook his head.

"No, they felt that he should be told why personally when they arrived at Vale." He pointed to the screen, "Unfortunately, there was a slight delay due to some Nevermores in the air space, so they had to arrive later than expected."

**When he voiced his question, his grandparents became saddened. Jacob sighed and walked closer to him, "Jaune..." *sigh* "I don't know how to tell you this." The heroes in the audience felt a chill run down their spines, feeling like Jaune is about to receive terrible news. "It's about your friend, the one who wears all white with blue stripes, oh what was his name?" He looked to his wife, forgetting the boy's name, but just saw her shake her head as she too had forgotten.**

**He turns his head back to Jaune as he shakes his head, "Well, never mind that. Listen, my boy," he says, looking into his grandson's eyes, "your friend... he passed away." Jaune widened his eyes. One of his friends? He's dead?**

The students gasped, feeling sorry for the blond. Those with resurrected family members hugged them dearly.

**"How?" He asks softly as his grandma led him to a seat by the table.**

**"In his sleep. The poor boy, he was very weak after the accident." Jeanne told him.**

Everyone wondered, 'What accident?' while many mourned the loss of Jaune's friend.

"At least the boy died in his sleep." Summer said to her children as she noticed Ruby tearing up.

**He nodded, and she went back to the small box that was lying on the other side of the table. She picked it up and returned to him. "In his will, he gave you something, 'a piece of your past' as he put it."**

Everyone leaned forwards, wanting to see what it could be and wondering if they could recognize whatever was inside.

**She stretched her arms so that Jaune could take it. He noticed that the box was no larger than a shoebox, a bit smaller even.**

**He removed the lid, and looked inside.**

They all held their breaths in anticipation.

**Once he saw what was inside, he raised an eyebrow in confusion. Sitting there in a stack, were what looked to be five long, thin, silver-colored, rectangular hilts with a square hole on its side near one end.**

The audience sat back. No one had any idea what they were seeing. Even Ozpin, who arguably has seen just about every weapon out there, couldn't tell what he was looking at.

**He looked closely at them, feeling as if he saw them before. Jeanne continued with her speech, "In his will, he made mention that these was his weapons, however none of us could ever figure out how they worked."**

Yang tried to lighten the atmosphere, "Just give them to Ruby, I'm sure she'll have them figured out in no time."

Ruby giggled a bit, along with a few others, and Yang smiled, 'Mission success!'

**She sighed as she looked at Jaune taking one of the cylinders. "I guess that he wanted you to have them. He said that you would make good use of them." Jaune looked at her, stunned. She smiled sadly at him, "He wanted you to keep them with you." She finished as the couple was crying now, saddened by the loss of one so young.**

The heroes felt saddened as well.

**Jacob took over when he saw that she couldn't continue**, ** "He had a weird name for them as well," he said as Jaune gently placed the rectangular device back in the box, "oh what was it?" He scratched the back of his head as he tried to remember.**

**"'Soul Cutter'." Jaune whispered, as if in a trance, before he felt a massive headache. He quickly placed the box down before he could drop it and spill it contents. The pain was almost too much, forcing him to take a knee to balance himself and keep from falling over. His grandmother was instantly standing before him as she moved to crouch down.**

Many grew worried at that.

Saphron held her wife close as she had trouble breathing, 'What's going on, Jaune what's happening?!'

Glynda gasped, "What's going on?" She looked towards Jack with worry for her student, "Why did that name trigger such a painful experience?"

Jack sighed as he shook his head, "That's his mind trying to remember."

Everyone looked confused at this. Jack continued with his explanation, "You see, during an... 'accident' let's say, his memories were lost."

Blake rose an eyebrow while pointing at the screen as she took a glance at her friend's pained face, "What kind of memory loss could he have if trying to remember gives such painful reactions?"

Jack looked to her with a serious gaze, causing many to tense up, "The type that comes from having his memories _sealed away_."

That created shock to settle over almost everyone. Ozpin and Salem felt a cold shiver run down their backs, 'Who could've sealed his memories?' This all sounded too much like _magic_ for their taste.

Saphron, and Jaune's children, were worried. 'Who could've sealed his memories away? _How_ were they able to do that?!'

Because of this, no one paid attention of the name of the weapons.

**"Jaune, are you alright?!" Jeanne asked, terrified for her grandson.**

**Before he could answer through the pain Flynt, Neon, Iris, and the last member of their team Ivan Vasilyevich (5), broke down the doors and like gunfighters out of the Old West, walked through the entrance.**

**The four entered the room, and upon seeing the young man kneeling before an old Faunus woman and Human man, 'no doubt a sympathizer', raised their weapons as they storm inside.**

Ozpin glared at the scene. Witnessing a family in the middle of their grief, and fear for one of their own, having deadly weapons pointed at them, it made him extremely pissed off.

The students also glared. "Get out of here, FNKI, before I go over there and break your legs!" Nora shouted as she stood up. Ren gently pulled her down while whispering gentle words to her, calming her down and earning some intrigued expressions from the girl's parents.

**Jacob was shocked at seeing these complete strangers, wondering who they were, and upon seeing them raising their weapons at his family he became enraged as he stood up. "What is the meaning of this?! Who are you people?!"**

**Flynt ignored his shouts, and instead narrowing his eyes as he readies his trumpet, "By the order of General Ironwood of Atlas and Headmaster Ozpin of Vale, you are all under arrest, traitors."**

**The other members of his team point their weapons at the family.**

Oz snarled as he heard his name be mentioned. "James..."

The man gulped as he saw Oz's Aura manifest out of anger.

The others became tense at this possible fight.

**Jeanne was pale as she looked at the team in fright, "Traitors?! We aren't traitors!"**

**Kim snorted as Flynt narrowed his eyes and pointed his trumpet to the old woman. "Place your hands behind your head, White Fang!"**

**Jacob was livid, "Are you threatening my wife?!" He moved to defend his family as Jaune began to stand up again, hand on the handle of his sword, and trying to focus his Aura in preparation but was still disoriented by the unexpected wave of pain from his head.**

Raven and Vernal nodded in pride at the young man's willingness to protect his family despite his pain.

**Ivan gripped his own sword, Anastasia (6), tighter as he yelled "They're hostile!" and Flynt ordering his team to engage.**

**Ivan leaped over to Jaune as he clumsily pulled Crocea Mors from its scabbard, and slashed at him with the blade igniting from the Fire Dust held within. The flames hit Jaune before the weapon itself did, shattering his concentration, his aura, and loosening his chest piece.**

Pyrrha gasped at crush's Aura shattering.

**While he was distracted, Ivan grabbed hold of the armor, and pulled hard on it, tossing away the armor piece from his chest. Then,** **seeing his opening, stabbed Jaune in the heart.**

"NO!" Many screamed in anger and sorrow.

The students looked on in horror at their friend/crush getting stabbed in the heart, not knowing why this all happened.

Many lowered their heads as they all cried.

Terra immediately covered Adrian's eyes so he wouldn't see this.

Chibi Blake poked her little head out of the safety of her box, but once she saw Jaune getting stabbed, she yelped and hid back inside.

Tyrian wanted to murder those children for harming his boy.

Raven gasped as Vernal teared up, holding her baby as she cried for her daddy. (7)

Emerald and Neo were doing the same for their daughters.

The teachers were livid, wanting to throttle James for ordering this.

Everyone jumped when Saphron screamed in anguish, taking her swords and running towards the man who basically murdered her baby brother.

"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" She screamed at the top of her lungs as the blades elongated and ignited, sensing their master's will to burn her enemies.

James was too shocked to do anything other than sit in his seat as he watched the Arc woman preparing to plunge her blades into his chest.

It was only thanks to Susanoo suddenly appearing and grabbing her arms to hold her back that he wasn't killed.

Everyone was stunned at seeing this, though many would've done the same if they saw their family die before them. Yang held her baby sister close as the two cried, while Nora hugged her Renny as she whimpered at seeing her brother fall. Ren crying at seeing Jaune die. Pyrrha was weeping in sorrow.

Everyone in the audience knew that unlike the last time they saw him die, this was a possible future. This could be Jaune's future.

Those with crushes felt a deep pain in their chest at seeing Jaune die, watching his body slide to the floor as blood pooled around him. The pain increased as they heard the sorrowed scream of an older sibling. "JAUNE!"

**"Jaune!" His grandparents shouted as they saw their grandson fall onto the table, spilling the contents of the box on the ground and lying motionless in a small pool of his own blood.**

**In a burst of anger, Jacob and Jeanne moved to attack Ivan, before being intercepted by Flynt as he blew on his trumpet, unleashing a burst of soundwaves and incapacitating Jeanne who held her Faunus ears in pain, while Jacob was blown back by the sound wave.**

All the Faunus in the audience held their own ears in pain.

The children screamed "Great Grandma! Great Grandpa!"

**As Flynt moved to engage the old man, he looked to his team, "Neon, Kim, secure the old lady; Ivan, search the body." before he leaped at him.**

**They nodded and moved to carry out their orders, with Neon and Kim looking on as Jeanne was still in pain from the soundwaves. She did have enough strength in her to look at the two standing over her prone form with a burning anger in her eyes. She then said "_This_ is treason. You won't get away with this..."**

The adults felt a wave of fear from those ominous words.

**Back to the fight, Jacob took out a saber and swiped at the boy, as they fought their way down a hallway and into the main office of the suite. Jacob locked his blade to Flynt's trumpet and raising a hand forward, used his semblance to release an air palm to slam the young man against the wall, but he recovers before Jacob could finish him off.**

"Kick his ass, old man!" Several shouted out in rage.

Winter, who was still saddened by a team of Atlas murdering an innocent, asked with slight awe, "How did he do that?"

Ozpin, still angered at the young man's death, tried to calm down as he watched Susanoo escort Saphron to her seat, "His semblance is control over the winds."

The Arc woman, now crying softly as she was held by her family, hiccupped before correcting the man. "A-Actually," she started, earning the adults' along with the villains' attention, "that's n-not entirely acc-urate." She sniffled, and ignoring Terra's words that she needed to save her energy, she glared at the General. "H-His semblance in c-control over _all_ elements. And h-he is _quite_ _proficient _at it."

They were stunned by this revelation, James paling at the thought of one of his students facing off against someone with that kind of power.

**Flynt managed to flip over the old man, and the battle resumed.**

**Back to the hallway, Ivan was rummaging Jaune's prone form looking for clues, the audience shouting for him to stop desecrating his corpse. The box was nearby, its contents spilt and scattered across the ground. One of which had landed close to Jaune's left hand.**

**The view zooms to Jaune's face, his eyes open but empty, before fading to black.**

The heroes felt deeply saddened, the ones with crushes were devastated, and the villains were mostly disappointed.

They all wondered what would happen to the old couple now that their grandson was dead.

**The screen opens up to a dark city, with tall skyscrapers as far as the eye could see. What's strange is that the view has them pointing sideways instead of upwards.**

Mercury looked to Jack, "Hey man, I think the screen's on the fritz."

Many nodded in agreement. Jack though, shook his head, "No, what you are viewing right now is correctly portrayed."

Penny, after clearing her eyes from her tears with her hoodie's sleeves, said in a soft voice "But that's impossible, how can we see something that defies the laws of physics?"

Jack just points to the screen, "I guess you'll have to wait and see."

**The screen focuses on one building in particular, where the audience can see a body lying on the wall like it was the ground. Peering closer, they all gasp. It's Jaune!**

"JAUNE/PAPA!"

**We see Jaune's prone form as the audience hears his grandparents' voices, "Jaune!" followed by their screams of pain.**

The heroes flinched at that.

**"_They're in danger. Your family is in danger. Get up._" A grave voice whispers in the wind, its unrecognizable to those in the audience.**

"Who's that?" Nora asks, sniffling a bit as she wipes her eyes with Ren's sleeves.

Yang shook her head, "I don't know, but it sounds like that person is trying to help him." She turns to Jack, "Who is that guy?"

"A fragment," the god says, "a part of his past that is trying to lend him strength." He smiles. "Just like he has done before."

**"_Get up. Get up._" It keeps repeating its mantra in a steady voice. "_If you don't get up, your family will die. You must Protect them. If you hesitate now you will die. Get up._"  
**

Everyone hoped that the voice's words would get through.

**Soon a sort of pressure was released into the audience for a moment, many noting how similar it was to what Jack did when they first met.**

**Back to the outside world, Jaune's left hand twitched.**

The heroes cheered, seeing the hand moving. They were first shocked to realize that the young man survived being impaled, but they were happy nonetheless. None more so than his family and crushes.

**It twitched until it felt the tube and quickly grabbed it.**

Their cheers grew louder.

**He then quickly grabbed the neck of Ivan, and as he chocked in surprise and fear as the boy he thought he killed strangled him, Jaune began to stand up. His grip was too tight for the boy to fight against, no matter how hard he tried to escape. Once at full height, a glowing blue blade activated from the tube, illuminating the hallway in a soft blue light.**

The students marveled at the pretty blade.

Velvet so desperately wanted to take a picture of it while Ruby salivated, wanting to know how such a small thing could emit such a blade. Penny wanted to examine it in the hopes that it could help her in her battles, same with Weiss and Winter.

The adults were amazed by how sophisticated the weapon was, especially with how small the hilt was.

Cinder thought that it would be better with a red blade with black hilt. Though she did appreciate that the boy was chocking out his enemy with a single hand, smirking sadistically as she watched.

**He stood up, with the rest of team FNKI gaping at the sight, his head down. The view zooming to his chest where the wound was shining in a white glow with steam emanating from it, before it all stopped, showing the audience that it was gone.**

"What the?" Yang asked surprised. Make no mistake, she was happy to see her fellow blond rise again, and with the hoodie burned away could see his developed figure. But she, and many others, couldn't think of a reason for how his Aura managed to heal a cauterized, not to mention fatal, thrust to the heart. She turned to Jack, "Hey Jack, how did Jaune do that?"

Jack was about to point out the reason for this when Oma did it herself, "That, was his semblance."

That got her, and everyone else's attention. Jack narrowed his eyes at the 'child', knowing full well that it wasn't his _Semblance _that instantly healed him. Nor was it the first time he had his chest ripped open.

Oma ignored the god's glare and continued with her explanation, "You see, his Semblance is called Aura Amplification, and it can amplify the Aura of others by transferring some of his own, never having to worry about running out due to his own substantially large reserves. Extremely serious wounds, such as broken bones or a slice through the stomach. He can even use his Semblance to enhance the power of other Semblances." As she explained further, the more the audience was in awe at his potential power. Oma took a deep breath, "He can even use it to enhance his own reserves to be nearly unstoppable and un-killable."

That had everyone thinking, a Semblance that can enhance other people's powers?

The students thought of how cool he could be if Jaune were to unlock it. Pyrrha was beaming with pride, being the first of their friends to know that Jaune had potential.

Ozpin was proud as well, though for some reason he felt more so than if it were just a regular student of his.

Glynda felt even more shame at thinking so poorly of one of her students. 'I wonder, if I had taken my duties as a professor...' She lowered her head a bit. 'Would he have had the strength to not fall in the first place?'

Salem wondered how such a power could benefit her cause.

Tyrian grinned, hoping he would kill those little shits.

As for Cinder, she was salivating as her clouded over with a deep lust. Her thighs rubbed together, 'MINEMINEMINE!' Her mind conjuring up fantasies where Jaune used his power to enhance her Maiden powers and with his help conquered the world.

The baby dragon didn't like the constant movements, and so got off her lap and went to rest by the foot of her seat thinking 'Sheesh, mistress sure is in heat.'

Raven was thinking similar thoughts as she wondered if the boy could enhance her own Maiden abilities.

**As Kim and Neon stared in amazement, and Jeanne looking on with teary eyes, Jaune thrusted the blue blade into Ivan's chest, payback for before. The blade, for some reason, ignored his aura completely, and stabbed through his chest, the affected skin burning as the blade is buried inside his flesh (8).**

The cheering died when Jaune thrusted the blade into Ivan's chest, eyes wide when it completely bypassed his Aura. Thought the mad Faunus clapped at his actions in merriment.

Saphron smirked at the death of the man who killed her baby brother. 'Revenge!'

Terra covered Adrian's eyes so he wouldn't get to see another death so soon.

The heroes were horrified, wondering what kind of person would want to design something that could kill Huntsmen so easily, and at such a young age too. Then they paled as they remembered what the blades were called. 'Soul Cutter.' They shuddered, that name was more true than thy first thought.

The Heroes paled at how dangerous their lives would be if those things ever fell into the wrong hands.

Salem immediately wanted that sword, as did the rest of her faction.

**He gave a quiet gasp in surprise, before slumping in Jaune's grip.**

**Neon and Kim widened their eyes at seeing their teammate's death, and watched as the traitor slowly pulled his weapon out of him and let go of his neck, the body dropping to the ground in a dead heap. "Ivan!"**

**Kim raced forwards, using her weapon, a whip called Unstoppable Stoppable, at the ready. However, Jaune, in a move faster than what the audience could follow, simply sidestepped to her side and twirled, quickly cutting her head off.**

The heroes felt sick. That was now two teenagers dead. James felt horrible, he wanted to blame Jaune for killing his students. 'But who ordered them to do this?' His conscience whispered to him, making him bow his head in regret. 'If you didn't order this attack, then none of this would have happened.' He was too wrapped up in guilt, that he didn't stop to think why his conscience had a young, female voice.

Oma was staring at the man, hoping that he would finally see reason.

The villains were munching on some popcorn. Cinder especially was ecstatic over this new turn of events.

**Neon let loose a cry of rage and sorrow as she watched her love get decapitated and moved to attack, only for her leg to be grabbed by the old woman.**

**Jeanne, kneeling now, grabbed her leg in a vice grip.**

**As Neon turned to attack her, Jaune somehow fazed into existence and stabbed her in the chest.**

The audience were shocked by the boy's newfound speed.

"What the heck was that?!" Ruby shouted, "I thought his Semblance was Aura Amp-whatever, not speed!"

Many murmured various agreements.

In order for the 'little girls' to not deceive them again, Jack immediately responded. "It is, however several years ago he discovered some powers that could allow him amazing abilities." 'Well, more like the powers were forced upon him.' He thought.

That got everyone's attention. "How did this boy acquire these abilities?" Salem asked with a raised eyebrow, thinking that the voice from before was the cause.

Jack shrugged, "He was touched by Death."

That made most people gasp, fearing the worst. Some began thinking that this 'accident' may have been more severe than they initially thought. Although his friends did wonder how he never displayed such powers before, 'Maybe the ones who sealed his memories knew how dangerous they were?' some thought.

Summer, Frigga, Odin, Salem, and Gretchen all held onto their loved ones as they heard the Death part mentioned.

Though Saphron was worried for her brother as well, she also had her jaw dropped, 'It's as the prophesy stated! _First tested by conquering the Realms of Death_. But if that's the case, how did he go about conquering it?!' She rubbed her chin, "Maybe it's because he survived his accident?" She asked in a quiet voice.

Salem and Cinder wondered how dying could've offered the boy these abilities.

**Neon coughed up some blood, not believing how this operation went wrong. She looked to the one who killed her, and with the last of her strength whispered, "How?" before sliding off the blade and falling to the ground next to Jeanne, dead.**

James felt even worse, blaming himself for having sent his students to die. 'And for what?' The voice asked. The man didn't have an answer.

**Jaune didn't respond, simply going over to his grandma. But she quickly waved him off, saying that his grandpa was still fighting. His eyes, now visible, flashed with a hidden light making the irises glow, and he went over to where the others were fighting.**

The villainesses felt a deep stirring in their lower regions when they saw his eyes glow. Cinder blushed as she drooled at his serious expression and the hidden power within him.

The students with crushes on him, despite the situation, couldn't help but sigh at him rushing to protect his family.

Glynda and Winter blushed as they thought that his serious face suited him.

Raven smirked in approval, unconsciously rubbing her thighs together as she witnessed the boy kill for his Clan. Vernal was cheering her man.

Jaune's children were shouting encouragements for their papa to "kill the last of the people who dared mess with the Arcs!"

Many of the heroes felt weird when they shouted that. Raven, their mothers, and Cinder encouraged it though.

Joker was grinning madly, hoping that his other would finish what he started, 'Three down, one to go!'

**Back to the battle, the two had moved to the back of another living room, in front of a large window making up the majority of the wall overlooking Vale. There, Flynt let loose another sonic blast, missing Jacob but shattering the window behind them into pieces.**

**As Jacob dodged, Flynt kicked him, forcing him out onto the ledge, which the audience noticed was twenty stories up at least, where a fall like that would be fatal they noted with grimm horror. The winds strong enough to force the two combatants into squinting their eyes in order to see.**

**Flynt then grabs his weapon and swings it like a club at Jacob. The old man wasn't prepared for this surprise move, and so when the trumpet slammed into the sword's hilt, he was forced to let go, watching it sail away into the streets below.**

**Flynt then kicked Jacob to the edge of the wall, where he slides down, winded but still determined to fight.**

James sighed in relief, happy that another of his students wouldn't fall to an Arc.

The others were simply impressed that an old man was able to last that long against a much younger opponent.

Raven felt that although he lost his duel, she should still respect him for fighting at all, and from his expression still willing to do so.

**Flynt shouts over the winds, "You are under arrest, traitor!"**

**Jacob merely glares at the young man who ordered his grandson's death. Snarling at the man as he readies his second wind.**

**Flynt continues with his speech, "The tyranny of the White Fang will end. You have lost!"**

The White Fang members felt insulted by that, especially coming from an Atlas dog.

Sienna stood up, glaring at the boy, "_We_ are the tyrants?! What about _you_, subjugating my people for generations?!" Ilia and Eve nodded as they snarled at the arrogant claims of Atlas.

**Jacob shakes his head, using some of his remaining aura to quiet the winds, "You Atlas dogs, always so prideful...Never seeing that your _precious_ army, your _precious_ rules..." he starts chuckling, "They are only ever an invitation for others to rebel against you." The White Fang members were shocked that a human would say that, but pleased to be proven right. He then starts laughing as he shakes his head, "As for me losing... No. No! no, _you_ have lost! You, will, die!"**

**He raises his hands, and using half of the what remained of his Aura, unleashes a devastating lightning blast at him. They are mostly blocked by Flynt's quick response, using his trumpet and Aura to weather the blast, but he does release a short scream of pain as a few bolts managed to hit home. The effort of his attack forces Jacob to be pushed back against the window sill.**

The audience were shocked that the old man, exhausted as he looked, was still able to unleash such a powerful attack...

Raven and Vernal were in awe. Jaune's children were filled with pride.

The adults gulped in fear.

The students were terrified.

And the villains were impressed.

they all wondered if the old man was this powerful at his advanced age, then how strong was he at his prime? The possible implications made many shiver in their seats.

**"You will die, traitor!" Jacob yells in fury, unleashing more waves of lighting at him.**

James and Winter looked on with fear for the last remaining member of FNKI.

Ozpin could only watch in sadness over a team with such potential be cut down due to a friend's lie.

**Through gritted teeth, Flynt replies with "You, are the traitor! Aarrrrggghhhhh!" With a scream of effort, he uses a majority of his remaining Aura to project a shield and redirected the lightning back at the old man, shocking him instead.**

James was hoping that this would end the fight.

**The old man started screaming at his own attack being repelled back at him but he held on, surprising everyone of his tenacity, knowing that his enemy would run out of aura soon. 'I can't hold on any longer, though.' With a groan, he held on. His face beginning to twist and distort a bit from the power directed at him.**

The audience were sick as they watched the old man start to become disfigured as his Semblance was being used against him.

Saphron felt sick, and Terra was still covering their son's eyes so he wouldn't see his great grandpa be disfigured.

**Jacob started to falter, 'I can't, give up. I-I'm too weak. I can't hold on any longer.' he thinks, before with one final push from Flynt, stopped his attack. The effects of the lightning directed at him visible on his face. His face was only slightly disfigured, but was still noticeable to the audience.**

**Flynt glared at him, "You White Fang sympathizer, I am going to end this once and for all." The winds were starting to pick up again, blowing some of the glass away. "For your crimes against the Kingdoms of Atlas and Vale, I sentence you to death."**

The heroes begged Flynt not to do this.

**Jacob glared, and in a weak voice said "This is illegal. If I am a traitor, then I must stand trial over a court of law!" Stopping to cough.**

Winter nodded, hoping that Flynt would see that all this was a misunderstanding, but also knowing that it was most likely too late to stop it.

**Flynt shakes his head, "This was under the direct command of Ironwood AND Ozpin, that is enough of a justification."**

Again, Ozpin growled at this lie, glaring at a now regretful looking James. Glynda and Qrow were also looking disapprovingly at him, causing the guilt to become worse.

**Jacob's eyes widen at the names. Flynt continues with "Besides, you're too dangerous to be kept alive." He raises his weapon to his lips to kill the old man.**

"NO!" Several shouted out.

**Just as Flynt was about to finish it, Jaune fazed into existence next to him and swipes his blade in an upward swing, slicing through the trumpet in half and cutting off Flynt's arms at the elbow.**

*Blarg* Ruby, Penny, and several others threw up.

The children felt a bit queasy, especially when Flynt started screaming, but they held firm in the knowledge that their great grandpa was safe.

Ozpin closed his eyes in sadness, knowing that a team of exceptional individuals were all gone.

James stood up with a look of horror, "NO!" All the while thinking, 'What have I done?!'

**Flynt screams in pain, staring at his amputated arms in shock. Jacob stares in disbelief at seeing his dead grandson alive again, but the screams shakes him back to the present, and he springs to life once more.**

**With the last of his Aura, he flings his arms forwards and unleashed the full force of his lightning attack. With his opponent distracted by the pain of his severed limbs, and his Aura spent from protecting him with the last barrage, he wasn't able to mount any kind of defense.**

**As blue bolts engulf his body, forcing him to shake in pain, he looks at Jaune in horror, his final thoughts being that his team is most likely dead now, before the force of the attack flings Flynt Coal out the window and falls twenty stories to his death. There are no more screams. Only silence. Jacob then lowers his arms.**

The audience is in silence. The students mourn over the deaths of team FNKI.

The teachers lower their heads in respect, and mourning.

Winter sniffled, seeing a team be lost, and over a lie. She hugged her Jaune doll close for comfort.

Raven and Vernal looked on in respect. They knew that their leader lied to them, and thus it wasn't their faults for doing this. The least they could do was be respectful of the fallen.

Saphron looked at the devastated General with a sadistic glee, of course away from her wife. 'You tried to murder my baby bro. you deserve this and _more_, you bastard.'

James sat down, and held his head in his hands in grief. He wanted to blame the Arc boy, he really did. But no matter how hard he tried to think things through, it all boiled down to one thing. 'I ordered them into this mess. What happened here was my fault.' He looks to the screen in sorrow, 'Please, please forgive me.'

Oma looked at the General, nodding at his grieving form. 'At last, he begins to see.' She turns to the screen as she holds her mama's arm tight. 'However, this is only the beginning. Soon, they will all know not to mess with the Arcs.' Her eyes narrowed as her eyes flashed red, 'They will all know not to mess with _our_ family.'

**In deep breaths, Jaune looked at the empty space that Flynt once stood in horror. He stumbles backwards, as if waking up from a dream, before the back of his feet hits a nearby chair and he sits down. "What have I done?" He asks himself as he drops the now deactivated handle, face flowing with tears as he starts to regret his recent actions.**

The students felt saddened by his words, knowing that what he did was merely instincts.

James looked on in regret, seeing the proof that the boy was never a threat to begin with. 'After all,' he thinks as he tears up a bit, 'no one so young can fake that level of self-loathing so easily.'

Raven shakes her head, "You did what had to do, in order to protect your loved ones." She says with a determined expression, earning a few nods from those with families.

**Jacob struggles, but he manages to stand back up.**

**Looking at his distraught grandson, and seeing his beloved wife limping into the room, he says "You were merely Protecting your family, Jaune." He says with some effort, smiling softly as Jaune looks at him in shock. He nods to him, "Just as any member of our Clan would."**

**Jaune looks on, and upon seeing the state of his grandpa moves to help him, but Jacob simply raises a hand, stopping him in his tracks.**

**"Do not worry about me." As Jacob says this, Jeanne rushes to his side, "We must instead focus on this new and dangerous turn of events." He snarls openly and growls out, "We have been betrayed."**

The heroes felt fear rising within, that growl along with his disfiguration made for a terrifying sight.

Ozpin whispered, "I would _never_ betray you, my friend."

**Jaune stiffens at this, glaring at the floor. Then his eyes widen, "The ones who came to, _'arrest'_, us." He begins with a scowl, before looking back at his elders, remembering where he saw them before. "they were students from Atlas."**

**Jacob nods, "Yes. And their leader said that the order to have us all killed was approved by both Ironwood and Ozpin." Jeanne gasped, and Jaune's jaw dropped.**

**"What?!" They only heard that they were under arrest, not assassinated.**

**Jacob sighed, "If Ol' Irondick has seen fit to use his students to do his dirty work, then we cannot trust those from Atlas." He turns to Jaune as Jeanne forces him to move to a nearby chair to sit down.**

**"And if this was all cleared by Ozpin, then we cannot trust those from Beacon either."**

Said people from Beacon were horrified by this.

Yang stood up, "We wouldn't even _think_ of betraying our friends!"

Many of them nodded, Ruby and Nora rising up to voice their agreements.

**Jaune was horrified; but as he sees his family, and their injuries, his resolve settles, "You are right." He says, devastating his friends, as he looks to them with a determined expression. "I will do whatever it takes, for my family to remain safe."**

**His headache suddenly returns, images of locations and faces flashing in his mind as he closes his eyes briefly.**

Pyrrha was heartbroken, her team hugging her as they cried together. They, and their other friends, all felt as if an arrow struck their hearts at his cold words.

The villains, Salem in particular, wondered how this would play out.

Only a few took notice over his second headache.

**Jacob nods, gazing at his grandson with pride. "Good. We'll need that resolve." He stands back up, under the disapproval of his wife, and continues with "If the Arcs are to survive this storm, then we must work together."**

**Jaune kneels before them, "I swear on my honor, the Arcs will overcome." He looks up, "We will not let this transgression go unpunished."**

The students shrunk at his cold words, fearing what that meant.

The older adults, having read up on some of the history of the Arcs' exploits in the past, could only shake in fear. They knew that whenever people gave offence to the Arcs, it didn't go over too well for them. Ozpin gulped, 'Normally they ended with piles of bodies stacked high.'

Saphron nodded, fully agreeing that something had to be done. Their honor demanded it!

His children all felt the same as their 'aunt'.

**Jeanne gazes at him, nodding at his commitment. "Good. Good." She waves him up, "Rise, young Arc." He does, and she goes over to the bedroom. Coming out a minute later with two black cloaks, one to cover her grandson up from the cold night. **

The villainesses pouted at the end of their free show.

**Over at Menagerie, where Menagerie's militia and Vale Defense Forces were fighting a large army of Grimm on a beach, the screen heads over to an FOB. There, the audience sees Ozpin looking over a map of the island provided by the Chieftain. Speaking of which, Kali and Ghira Belladonna were there with him, providing advice over the terrain.**

Yang whistled at the large beast of a man, "holy cow, that's your dad?"

Blake nodded, not liking how Yang whistled at her father, "Yes, now please, don't do that again." Her partner looks at her questioningly. "It's weird."

Meanwhile Mercury was drooling at the MILF onscreen, before Peridot smacked him in the face for being a pervert, earning a laugh from her sister and mommy.

**The Headmaster suddenly winced, and holds his head with his left hand as he closes his eyes. For some reason, he felt something wrong, a great disturbance.**

**Back at the hotel, Jacob is putting on the second cloak provided by his loving wife, to hide his slight disfigurement temporarily until his Aura replenishes and heals him.**

**He then turns to face Jaune as he put on his hood. "Because James and Ozpin did not trust us, my grandson, I believe you are the only Huntsman with no knowledge of this plot. When they learn of what has transpired here, they will kill us. Along with the rest of our beloved Clan."**

**Jaune nods, Jeanne by his side. "I agree. The Huntsmen's next move, will be against the rest of the Clan."**

The heroes could only watch in horror as Jaune thought that they would target his entire family.

James felt like he received a punch to the gut. 'How could they think that I would lower myself to target an entire family?!'

His feminine conscience whispered, 'Like how you _didn't_ target the young Arc?'

He flinched.

**Jeanne glares at Jaune as she moves in front of him, her statement causing gasps of fear from the heroes and whispers of intrigue from the villains. "Every _single_ Huntsmen, including your friends, are now enemies of the Arc Clan. You understand that, don't you?"**

**Jaune takes a deep breath, and stares fearlessly at the two. "I understand, grandma."**

Pyrrha was sobbing, not wanting to believe that Jaune would view her as an enemy. Same with their friends, they wanted to go there and assure him that they would never wish to bring harm to him or his family.

**Jacob looks to the side, saying "We must move quickly. The Huntsmen are relentless; if they are not all destroyed, it will be constant war without end." He turns back to his grandson, "First, we must deal with those in Beacon," he shakes his head with a sigh as he goes over to the desk, and sits down on his chair, "but we don't have the numbers to take them on quickly before they can mount another attack."**

**Jaune looks down in thought, wondering the same thing. His eyes narrowed as he remembers someone who can help. Several old enemies that swore fealty to him, along with a crazy man with a white and green hat. Perhaps they have the numbers the Clan needs. He looks back to his grandpa and says "I may know of a few who can give us the army we need."**

**Jeanne looks at him in contemplation, but once she sees his confidence in his plan, nods. "Then you must go to them, acquire the help of these people." She turns to glare outside, "Then take your troops and head towards the school. We will catch them off balance."**

Everyone wondered what kind of army Jaune mentioned. The way he said it caused the heroes to wilt as they felt that they would know soon enough.

The villains wondered if this army could help them in their cause.

**Jacob continues where his wife left off, "Do what must be done, Jaune Arc. Do not hesitate. Show no mercy. Only then will our Clan be safe."**

That got the students to shiver in fear.

**Jaune looks confused at his grandfather's declaration, "But what about the other Huntsmen spread across the planet?"**

**Jeanne shakes her head as she turns to look at him, "Their betrayal will be dealt with." She says with a final tone. "After you have killed everyone in the school, go to Ozpin's office. Find out what he's hiding there. Here," she goes over to hand Jaune a scroll, "this should help you with any security he may have placed in his systems." She smiles at his confused expression. "It was a gift from little Terra." Jaune nods in understanding and quickly moves to find the people that can help them. 'I hope his shop is still open.'**

Everyone looks to a nervous looking Terra as she chuckles nervously and twiddles her thumbs. "W-Well, what can I say, I'm g-good with computers?" She said in a tiny voice.

Saphron kissed her on the cheek, earning a blush and look of confusion from her wife. She just giggled and hugged her, loving how her love helped their family out.

**After he leaves, Jacob sighed and turns to his wife. "This is not how I expected our night to turn out." he says seriously.**

**Jeanne nods, "Neither did I." She narrows her eyes and with pride in her voice as the view shows a closeup of her face, she says "Once more, the Arcs will go to war. And, we shall have, vengence." She smiles at the screen before the screen switches over to a different location.**

The adults didn't like the sound of this, and the students were scared of what they'll see next. The villains couldn't wait to see what will happen next. Everyone knows that something big was going to go down, many simply hoped that they would survive the coming storm, the parents hoping that their children would live.

**END**

**And done! I hope you enjoyed the first part of this 3-shot, and how I depicted James' slow return to the light. I myself am an older brother, and if my baby bro got hurt, I would beat the crap out of the person that did it; so for Saphron to go all Spirit of Vengeance after witnessing her brother's murder, it shouldn't be all that OOC for her (especially when I gave clues as to how protective the Arcs are in regards to their family). Anyway, have a happy New Years I will see you guys next time!**

**1\. If you all recall, I took the people from Vol 2, just before the dance but after the Atlas fleet arrived.**

**2\. So yeah, forgot to mention this. But due to popularity of these children, they are now canonized within this story. Any time that we see Jaune having a family with those ladies, their children will always be those 4 (along with others if they have more).**

**3\. Couldn't think of any other hackers that start with K; if you know the show you'll remember that she dressed up in a cheetah costume at one point.**

**4\. And there it is! One of the major hints to Jaune's past!**

**5\. Ivan the Terrible. Really tried going with someone else, but I couldn't make them fit as well as him in terms of being quick to the trigger.**

**6\. Anastasia: Ivan the Terrible's first wife.**

**7\. Remember, they don't know that the Joker is with them.**

**8\. With how this sword works, it makes sense why it could bypass a person's Aura. The weapon is like a chainsaw, making 3 million round trips per _second_ around the whole edge of the blade. If a normal chainsaw can cause Weiss to pass out (granted she made great use of her Semblance), then something that can spin hundreds of times faster will prove even deadlier. It also acts like a vibroblade, loosening the bonds between whatever it cuts in order to make slashes easier, which again only makes it more dangerous againt Huntsmen. The weapon also has a another ability, it can collect energy during combat by absorbing an opponent's power/attacks. The more power they release, the more powerful the blade becomes. This effectively allows an opponent's own energy to be used against them. If anyone can figure out the true name of the weapon, then you'd know that this can be one deadly tool to use against opponents whose main mode of defense relies on an energy shield that comes from the soul itself. This blade basically _feeds_ off of power like that!  
**


	16. Revenge of the Arcs Pt 2

**Chapter 15: "Revenge of the Arcs" Pt. 2**

**So many love the last chapter, ****so I'll go straight to the reviews!**

**Japnit singh: While that would be cool, Ichigo never learned it while he was a soul reaper (a shame really, Rukia was inside his closet for awhile and she wanted to help protect souls from Hollows, why didn't she teach him some spells?), so I can't let Jaune do it either.**

**ArcticKnight13: Won't spoil it, it's in this chapter.**

**jc855191: Hey man, it's cool. I'm glad that you like what I've done so far, and I hear you on Jaune's special status. However, the only reason Jaune is special right now is because he literally died with a stab through the chest. Without a similar experience to give him that jumpstart he needs, which would be horrible for the heroes to even contemplate (and the villains would be hesitant to try since the last time that happened, he slaughtered everyone involved), he would still be the same Jaune. He also has a tremendous amount of Aura as well as training (and his team) to help him with fights, so the chances of him 'gaining' that experience would only shrink as time goes on, the only reason his Aura failed him this time was due to the pain from his headache shattering his concentration.**

**warrior of six blades: I was originally thinking of James being suspicious of Blake too, but then I thought to myself, 'why bother?' There would be no way either would've known of James' suspicion of Blake unless he moved a team against her as well, and with her in Beacon that wouldn't go over very well. Plus, I don't think she'll appreciate her friend murdering her teammates.**

**Hellsider1985: What's an Anakin-esc person if you can't slaughter your friends? Besides, how would he be able to convince any of them that what he's doing is right when they just saw him lead an army that killed everyone else in the school? Not trying to diss you or anything, just trying to let you know how letting RWBYNPR live would be a bad idea later on.**

**The Black Wolf of the Arks: Wait, so no one did a Matrix one yet? Hmm, food for thought. Don't worry about Jaune, he ain't going down that route.**

**primus101: He doesn't really have Quincy powers here, sorry. The only reason why he has ****Seele Schneider is because he is one of the few people who's capable of wielding it responsibly (read: "at all"). He also did Shunpo to move at high speeds, though I suppose I should've been specific about that, so my bad XD**

**Fallout-Man101: Oh trust me, I'm not having them be evil, more like misinformed. The Arcs didn't know that the arrest/assassination attempt was all based on a lie. Jaune is still Jaune, no unwarranted murder. So he'll only kill when he has to, like Huntsmen, but no children will be harmed...at least by his own hand, I should probably point out. Can't really say the same for his army as most wouldn't care either way.**

**Jaunepool: Oh my, that would be a bad idea. Remember how well Yang and Ruby did when they got their gifts? Smashing into poor, _defenseless_ shelves as they went too fast... BWAHAHAHA! Oh that is hilarious! Gotta remember that!**

**Zathol: You know, believe it or not, I never made the connection between Mace and Flynt before, sort of how I didn't get the connection between Polendina and Freeman, that was just a happy accident. And while it's _certainly _hypocritical, can't argue with that, they really don't know who to trust from the Huntsmen Corp. Ozpin has the trust and loyalty of many of his students (past and present), and has deep connections with at least two other Headmasters. Meanwhile, James is Headmaster of Atlas, a General in the military, and holds 2 seats in Atlas's own council. These 2 alone hold a _lot_ of influence in Remnant. I agree, not every Huntsmen follows the Headmasters, but how would the Arcs be able to tell which is which? Plus, when word of this gets out war could still be a possibility. Remember, Jacob and Jeanne are not only leaders of the Arcs, they also hold seats in Mistral's Council. It's like France sending in assassins to kill beloved members of Congress. Lastly, while he is certainly getting to OP status here, keep in mind that he had to die in order to get his abilities. Without that, he's still the blond noodle we all know and love.**

**bigman22: Thank you! Hope that you like this one as well!**

**Wolfang21: No spoilers, but there will be a climactic showdown. As for the clones, that's in this chapter, so I won't spoil that either. Just keep in mind while reading this: all characters from Bleach that I show are either confirmed alive, or unconfirmed dead (which to me means still alive; show me a body, then we'll talk).**

**Jaune Stoppable: Oh no, I'm having a chapter dedicated to that, 'Monkey Fist Strikes', right?**

**Longdang dark: Not a problem. Now where to start? Well, for the sisters bit, growing up in a large family can be very difficult. The parents are outnumbered 4 to 1. Plus, they probably thought it was cute for him to interact with their sisters like this. Am I saying it's right? No, it most likely had profound negative effects on his psyche. However, the poor boy is seriously at a disadvantage here. I've read fanfics that touch on this heavily, and I can see how the parents could be bad. Now for the training. Well, as you said, they come from a long lineage of warriors. Due to this, they would also know the true horrors of battle. They probably just wanted their children to not become Grimm food (Saphron doesn't look like a fighter, so it can be assumed that none of the Arc children received any training). As for the second bit, well this chapter actually paints somewhat of a decent picture regarding your concern. In this chapter, we'll get to see more of the Arc's past; and how their actions, while considered heroic and honorable to some, can be seen as nightmare fuel to others. But that's in the second half (I think? It's hard to really tell until after you publish).**

**I thank you all for the support, now I know that many would question what I've done near the end, so an explanation after the end should help you with why I did it. Also, I should probably keep a list of Jaune's children thus far as many are complaining that they forget who they are, and more are coming:**

**Neo: Lucy**

**Emerald: Peridot and Garnet**

**Vernal: Amber**

**Now onto the story!**

**Credit for helping me name The Council's codenames goes to King-Of-Gods. Thank you for your help!**

**Warning: Since many know what crossover this is (at least regarding to Jaune's past), all characters from Bleach playing a role here are either confirmed as still alive, or just unknown; which to me means that they are still kicking. If there isn't a body disintegrating onscreen, then they are not dead to me.**

**Disclaimer in the prologue.**

As everyone tensed in preparation, no one expected an orchestra to begin playing.

**(Play "March at the Jedi Temple")**

At the sound of the loud music, many jumped in surprise.

Nora shouted, "What the hell, Jack?!"

Jack shrugged, "What? You aren't the only ones watching this." He then whispered "Dormata" while waving his hand a bit, willing Adrian to fall asleep. 'Don't want the little guy to see this.'

"Uh, g-guys?" Ruby shakes as she points to the screen.

Everyone looks, and are surprised. The heroes can only look on, horrified at what they're seeing. The villains though couldn't be happier.

**It cuts to an overhead view of the front of Beacon. The screen slowly lowering its view until the audience can see a line of white coming out of a black maw heading towards the school.**

**The view quickly switches over to a zoomed view of the front steps of the school, where the audience can see that the line of white is actually an army walking up to the doors of Beacon. It then goes to view from behind the front step as a figure in a black cloak steps up first, then a line of troops.**

**Switching to on a ceiling vies in front of the top step, the audience can see the moving shadow leading them. It then switches back to the front, where a closeup of the shadow shows that it's Jaune Arc.**

The deadly expression he's wearing terrifies the heroes, while the villains are cheering him on.

**He's marching on Beacon with a legion's worth of soldiers at least. Many were wondering where they came from. Speaking of them, the closeup now gives a clear description of what they look like.**

**The first thing the audience noticed are the human-shaped skulls the soldiers are wearing over their heads and completely covering their faces, the eyeholes darkened so that nothing could be seen underneath.**

**After that are the uniforms. They are all wearing the same long sleeve jacket with a black line starting at the high collar and curving down to their right hips. They also have a black sash, which holds up their white hakamas and scabbards. Lastly, they are wearing black gloves, white sandals and black high knee socks, thus covering up their entire bodies with no piece of skin shown (1).**

**What scared the heroes most was that they are marching in perfect synchronization, completely silent save for their footsteps as to not alert the people inside.**

The villains could only marvel at the army, wondering where these soldiers were hiding 'till now. Salem especially wanted to know.

Cinder and Raven thought of all the things they could do with such forces... They blushed as they made a 'mess' in their clothes, another for Cinder.

Some of the heroes were trying not to make one in theirs as well, only for very different reasons.

**We then cut to a rather large sinkhole, where a battle between the White Fang and Atlas in underway.**

Sienna narrowed her eyes in suspicion, knowing for a _fact_ that she didn't give the order for a base in wherever that place was.

Eve clenched her fists, knowing that this was one of her personal strongholds, and was also one of her main and populated bases.

Cinder also frowned, knowing that this was the location where most of Roman's 'acquisitions' for the White Fang was stored.

**We cut to a few Atlas grade bullheads dropping in with reinforcements, constantly shot at with bullets and artillery fire.**

**It then cuts to the battle, where a medic is seen trying to save a trooper, while being protected by other soldiers. "Sergeant, over here!" The medic shouted, waving his arm to get his superior's attention.**

**A dropship lands nearby to drop off more troops as one of the soldiers protecting the medic gets shot in the chest by a sniper round, killing him instantly.**

**"Hurry!" The medic implores, as another security member rushes over to take the other one's place, only for her to get headshot almost immediately and spin towards the ground.**

**It then switches to a few soldiers fighting off White Fang troops, AK-200's, and several spider droids. One of the soldiers falls from a stray shot while the captain shouts orders, "All red units, let's move! Come on, let's go!"**

**While the orders are being followed, one soldier climbs on top of a spider droid, and shoots it in a vulnerable section just above the neck, causing it to malfunction and fall to the ground with a large thud.**

**She, and her squad mates, immediately turns to open fire on another spider droid that was approaching their position.**

**It switches over to Winter on a hoverbike powered by gravity dust, dodging fire from an AK-200 on top of a ridge, before it was shot in the head by an Atlas sniper on a lower level to it.**

**It cuts to her rounding a corner, and zooming in on her face where the audience can see her glare, angered by the fact that the White Fang managed to steal so much advanced Atlas tech.**

Sienna and Ilia were concerned. The former because of her fellow Faunus dying, and the latter because she never ordered her commanders to steal from Atlas so heavily before.

'Sure, taking some tech would help us in the end, not to mention payback for Atlas constantly putting us down.' Sienna thinks. 'But why would we need to steal so much, and store it all in one location?' Her eyes narrow, 'And how much of it is still hidden?'

**She rides up to a trooper who was overlooking the battlefield, before stopping. The soldier heard the bike stopping a couple feet next to him and turned around. Spotting Winter, he takes off his helmet, showing a head of nicely cropped light blond hair, with some gray on the sides, and dark blue eyes.**

Winter and Weiss smiled softly at the man, and Ruby looks at her partner questioningly over the gesture.

**Winter smiled at her dear friend and mentor, "Commander Arthur, contact your troops." She points to the higher levels. "Tell them to move to the higher levels."**

**Arthur nods, saying "Very good, ma'am." He starts to move away, but then stops as he remembers something and returns to Winter. Smirking, he says "Oh, by the way, I think you'll be needing this."**

**He hands Winter her saber that she lost from a previous duel, and she blushes in slight embarrassment as she takes it back.**

Winter blushed at this as well, earning a smirk from her dear sister, "Didn't Arthur always tell you that you should take better care of your weapon, that it was your life~?" she teased her, getting her older sister to blush harder and look away.

Ruby asked her, "Uh, Weiss? You know this guy?"

Weiss turns to her friend and nods, "Of course, Ruby. Arthur was once Winter's mentor in the military academy, and would often come to visit." She smiles, "He was a good friend to us while I was in Atlas."

Winter nods, getting her blush under control, but not before glaring at the drunk for laughing at her. "Yes, dear sister. He is also a very capable commander, and an honorable warrior." her tone brightens a bit as she smiles, "He's beloved by so many in the military, and I consider him to be my best friend, and older brother." Weiss nods, feeling the same way.

The rest of her team were surprised, and looked back at the screen with wonder.

James looks at the screen with a fond smile, having served with the man personally, and had a great respect towards him for his dedication for protecting his troops, earning the loyalty of so many within the army. This was also a way for him to try to forget his mistake.

***Clears throat* "Yes, thank you, Arthur." Now smiling back at him, she continues with "Now let's get a move on. We've got a battle to win here."**

**As she revs up her bike, Arthur shouts with a smile, "Yes, ma'am!" as he puts his helmet back on.**

**And like that, the specialist rides off down the wall of the giant sinkhole and heads off to a ramp that head to the upper levels.**

**As the battle continues around him, Arthur hears a beeping sound coming from his scroll and takes it out. He opens it to reveal the small hologram of a shadowy figure. "Commander Arthur," The figure says, his voice showing it to be Jacob Arc's.**

Now those three were shocked. Winter shouted, "How can the Arcs contact Arthur?!"

The other heroes didn't like the implications of this, and were worried, while the villains were entranced.

**We cut to Jacob and Jeanne Arc still in the trashed hotel room momentarily. "The Clan has been betrayed." Jeanne says, and Jacob finished her sentence. "Execute Order 66."**

**Cutting back to Arthur, he nods and says "Right away, Elders." The hologram disappears, and he turns to look up. He can see Winter riding her bike up a walkway jutting out of the wall.**

The audience wondered what this Order 66 was. The villains were curious, while the heroes felt a deep foreboding settle within.

**He then turns to a nearby trooper on an artillery platform, and gestures to her direction, "Blast her!" earning gasps from the Schnee sisters.**

**The gunner nods in complete loyalty to him, and fires.**

**The battle rages all around Winter Schnee. As she races across the battlefield, suddenly an artillery shell blasts underneath her, knocking her off the wall of the sinkhole. She looks around just in time to see that her own troops fired at her. Winter falls hundreds of feet to the bottom of the water-filled sinkhole, landing with a large splash of water.**

"Winter!" Weiss shouts, hugging her stunned sister.

'Why?' Winter thought, 'Why would he do this?'

James felt like he was punched in the gut, 'Arthur? Why would you betray us like this?'

Cinder, having figured it out, laughed. Her mirth earned the attention of the audience. She turned to the Schnees, "Don't you get it? This Arthur must have been a member of the Arc Clan." She grinned cruelly at their looks of horror.

James shook, Arthur has the loyalty of many of the Atlas military. If he was an Arc, then he could lead an army under their banner against Atlas.

Ozpin looked on with sorrow. Juat watching the Arcs do this made him feel so depressed, and a bit dissapointed for some reason.

Salem was just about the opposite. She once more felt pride, and silently leaned towards Cinder. "Cinder, do make a note of this Arthur for me, my dear." She smiles as Cinder nods to her orders.

**Across the way, in another section of the sinkhole, the battle continues. Troops were battling the White Fang across a long bridge. There, Qrow used his weapon to help his men by deflecting enemy fire while returning some of his own.**

Now it was Ruby and Yang's turn to feel worried.

Raven clenched her fists, hoping that her brother would flee, while the man gulped in slight fear. Tai prayed that his brother would be ok.

**A White Fang grunt fires an RPG and hits one of the nearby Atlas transport carriers, sending the whole thing sky-high in a raging fireball as it scored a direct hit on the fuel tank.**

**Qrow looks back towards the explosion, before calling his troops to follow him as he went to lead the charge.**

**"Come on!" He shouts as he raised his weapon high and began to run.**

**The troops follow him for a few steps before stopping, their weapons slowly raised directly at the man.**

"Get out of there Uncle Qrow!" Ruby shouts as the sisters hug their uncle. Tai is breathing heavily, holding onto her wife as she tears up.

Raven glares at the screen, 'Come on Qrow, run!'

**Qrow turns around after hearing the clicks of weapons behind him, and sees his men turning their guns on him, before he's blasted by bullets. He tries to defend himself, even deflecting a few rounds back, but the sheer amount of firepower is too much for his Aura to defend against. It was then that his Semblance activated. One, two, then more makes it through his Aura and strikes him around his body. He screams a bit in pain as one round strikes his chest before he spins around and falls to the ground, dead.**

"UNCLE QROW!"

Raven looked on in shock, not knowing how to process her brother getting gunned down by his own men.

Tai and Summer held each other as they cried at the death.

The students were horrified by this.

The teachers were shunned at seeing one of their friends brutally murdered like this. Ozpin teared up, while Glynda placed a hand over her mouth as she turned away. James bowed his head in sorrow, knowing that his death, and many more, could be blamed by his actions.

The man himself was scared, holding his nieces close as he watched his own death play out.

The villains cheered at the death of one of Ozpin's group.

**In Mountain Glenn, a regiment of Vale security forces are setting up camp across one of the deserted streets. Meanwhile, Glynda is leading a squad up ahead to scout for any potential ambush.**

The heroes were dreading what would happen here, while the villains silenced themselves so as not to miss another thorn in their side fall.

**They all look around for signs of the enemy, spotting only a few Beowolves and a Creeper.**

**Just then, her troops turned their weapons on her. She only had the time to turn around in shock before she was shot in the back by a shotgun. The force of the blast sending her crashing to the floor on her front. The view swittches to looking overhead behind a streetlamp as the other troops fire on her shortly after she hits the ground, the lamppost obscuring her body as she's riddled with bullets.**

Glynda forced herself to look away as to not to see her future self get killed, while her friends were horrified by the brutality.

The students were openly crying for their teacher, seeing her die like this was terrifying for them. 'She didn't even get a chance to defend herself.' Many thought.

The villains cheered once more. Well, most of them.

Cinder was now starting to get annoyed. While she was happy that her enemies are getting picked apart one by one, she was pissed that it wasn't _her_ that caused it. The perfectionist in her was seething that they were doing it more quickly, and more _successfully_, than her. Now more than ever, she wanted the allegiance of the Arcs.

As for Salem, she was astonished. 'I've been trying to destroy Ozpin's powerbase for _centuries_, and you're telling me that all I needed to do was gain the loyalty of a _single_ family?! They're even doing it better than I am!' She was still feeling pride at their successful attempt at wiping out Ozpin's allies so far, it was just mixed with jealousy and self disappointment.

**Back at Menagerie, Ozpin drops his cane, and clutches his chest. He soon kneels against a wall in pain as Ghira and Kali who are nearby to see what was wrong. It felt like he was suffering a minor heart attack, sensing that something had gone terribly wrong.**

**Above Atlas, where the sun was rising, the audience sees from inside a cockpit. The pilot is flying his fighter as he follows a small transport. His face was obscured by his helmet, but the audience can still see his dark blue eyes. Just then the pilot watches as a hologram of Jacob Arc pops up in front of his screen. "Execute Order 66" He orders before it disappears.**

**Nevertheless, the pilot nods as if he was still there and says, "It will be done, Elder." He then immediately starts aiming at the craft in front of him, firing once he had a lock.**

**We head to a view of inside that ship's cockpit, where James is seen piloting his ship.**

The James in the audience sucks in a breath as he watches this as the villains silenced themselves in amazement that they would get to see the great General getting gunned down by his own men.

Watts was especially happy to witness this.

**He was heading towards a landing platform over Atlas's Academy when he was suddenly fired upon from behind. He tries to see who was shooting him when a shot hits one of his engines and suddenly his ship spirals out of control. He drops out of the sky and hits a nearby building, the explosion of his ship engulfing his body and killing him.**

James flinched at seeing his future self getting killed like that. 'Why is it always fire?!'

The heroes were once more horrified. They wanted this James to be punished, not killed!

Ozpin was feeling sick, witnessing his friends getting picked off one by one like this. Glynda closed her eyes and tried to keep the bile from rising up.

The students were shaking in fear, seeing a glimpse of the Arc's influence.

Frigga held her daughter as she whimpered as Odin embraced them both in his own way of shielding them.

The White fang was amazed, while Eve was grinning sadistically.

Once more, the villains cheered, while Cinder started to shack in jealous rage. Watts was silently celebrating. Jaune's children were also celebrating, seeing the similarities of this James' demise to the one from their universe.

However, all noise stopped at seeing what happened next.

**Just then, over the academy, a black portal similar to the one at Beacon opened up, and a woman  
with hazel eyes and long, wavy green hair, along with a slightly tanned complexion walks out with a serious expression. The audience can see that she has a crimson line running across her face and a skull mask of a ram along with a pair of curved horns, making people think that she was a Faunus. For clothing, she wore a tight fitting long sleeved shirt with shoulder pads and puffy cuffs, a black line starting at the collar and going down to the left side of her chest and to the side. She also has white gloves and matching pants that are open at the end, and a pair of white sandals and black socks (2).  
**

What the females noticed most was that this woman was very 'gifted' in the chest department, the shirt not really hiding how large her breasts were. Mercury was drooling at her figure, which earned him a slap from Emerald for acting like a pervert in front of her daughters.

Ilia was blushing up a storm.

Ren stealthily hid his arousal, but not as stealthy as he thought as Nora was seething at this homewrecker stealing her man.

Now Cinder was getting pissed. Salem was also getting annoyed. The Arc's success was incredible, and it wasn't because of either of their carefully thought out plans! They were getting more shit done in a single day, than they have had in decades! They then glare at their underlings, blaming them for the lackluster success they've had thus far in recent years.

The heroes gulped in fear, sensing that her arrival wasn't good for them. They were right.

**She unsheathes her blade and raises it high, signaling the army that the audience can now see behind her to begin their charge. The audience, with a sense of fear coming from the heroes, can see that this army was made up of more of those weird soldiers.**

**We cut to the middle of a savanna, outside Haven Academy, where three hoverbikes race across the wilderness with Leonardo Lionheart in the lead.**

**The two guards follow him as he grins, focused on the 'road' with the wind making a mess of his hair. Because of this, he doesn't notice one of his guards pressing a hand to his helmet, as if getting a transmission. The man nods in confirmation before looking to the other person, both nod and dropped back further behind the Faunus Headmaster.**

The villains stopped celebrating, knowing how important this Faunus was to their plans.

Ozpin widened his eyes, not wishing to see another of his close friends dying.

The heroes were scared, being shown another Headmaster in trouble.

The Faunus in the room were especially worried, seeing as this was one of their more recent heroes.

**The view zooms in on the front of one of the bikes as hidden compartments open up and a pair of blasters pop out, which instantly shoots at his position once they got a lock. We cut to just ahead of the trio as he is hit, causing him to crash in a huge explosion, killing the man on collision.**

**Near the academy, another black portal opens up, this time showing a woman with olive skin, aqua green eyes, thick eyelashes, and short golden blonde hair kept messy with three braided locks. She's wearing a jacket with a high collar, covering the lower part of her face, and stopping just below her chest. The jacket has a zipper running along its entire length, with what appears to be air filters on either side just below the trim. The sleeves completely envelops her arms, ending in black glove-like extensions at her extremities, resembling the appearance of a cat's paw. For lower wear, she's wearing the same as the soldiers standing behind her (3).  
**

'Where does Jaune find these women?!' The ladies with crushes mentally shouts out in jealous rage, seeing that this one also has a stacked rack while also wearing very little in comparison to the last one.

Ilia had a nosebleed at the blonde's choice of clothes, seeing her exotic appearance to be mesmerizing.

Cinder closed her eyes as she began counting to ten in her head. 'How many troops are there?' She opens her eyes, and flames could be seen within. 'And how have I never even heard of them before?!'

Mercury wanted to ogle at the new woman, but a raised hand and a goading expression from Emerald put a stop to that.

Salem's eyebrow started twitching as she sees a pawn, rather than thorn, getting killed. As she sees the portal open up, and spilling out more soldiers she couldn't help but think 'Another army attacking a school...' She stops thinking about it as she clenched her fists. 'Where were you mysterious peons decades ago?!'

**Again, this one took out her sword and points it towards the academy, unleashing more skull-helmeted warriors from the portal.**

**It then cuts over to Shade Academy in Vacuo, where the redheaded Headmistress, Dorothea Gales, and her assistant, a female blond dog Faunus named Topaz Terrier (4), were walking down a path in the middle of the courtyard. Topaz suddenly received a coded message on her scroll.**

**As she opened it to read, a large portal started opening. And this time, stepping outside was a man, unlike another woman much to the audience's female population's relief.**

**He is a tall, muscular man with light blue, spiky hair and matching eyes, with green lines below them, similar to eye markings of a cat. His attire consists of a white hakama, a black sash and a ragged white jacket with an upturned collar. The inner lining of his jacket is black and is worn with the sleeves rolled up and unzipped, exposing his chest. He also seemed to have a mask fragment on his right jawbone (5).**

**Like the others, he takes out his sword, grinning ferally as he does so. Pointing it towards Dorothea, he shouts "Go get 'em, boys!"**

**At his command, another army of skull-helmeted soldiers came rushing out and converging on a horrified Headmistress, just as Topaz raised a ruby-bladed sword to the back of her head.**

The audience was in disbelief, seeing now four massive armies attacking the schools simultaneously.

Ozpin was shell-shocked that Mr. Arc could amass such a large army in such a short period of time, as were Glynda and Winter. The former seeing that her best friend was about to be killed by her own assistant.

Cinder was glaring at the screen, jealous that she wasn't the one leading this impressive army, and _not_ the fact that most of the ones leading them were extremely beautiful women with more impressive figures then her. 'Stupid Arc,' she thinks as she crossed her arms, 'am I not good enough for you?'

**Cutting back to Menagerie, a couple of Bullheads are flying overhead as Faunus gunners are standing at the back, firing at the Grimm down below with heavy machine guns. A nearby Nevermore was hit in one of its wings and soon plummets to the ground.**

**Down below, the audience can see that the battle is taking place on a beach, where Vale security forces and Kuo Kuana Militia are seen battling sea Grimm who are ferrying land based ones as if they were transports.**

**Treaded tanks roar towards the battle, firing missiles and bullets as they drive through the area.**

**In a tower we see the leader of the security forces holding his scroll out and talking to a hologram of Jacob Arc as another Nevermore in the background is blasted out of the sky.**

**He nods, saying "It will be done, Elder." before snapping his scroll shut. He then walks over to a blond Faunus Militia member and quietly tells her the news. She nods and the two heads over to Ozpin who was watching the battle from the balcony.**

The White Fang are shocked that one of their own was in league with the Arcs, then remembered being told that the family supplied them with support and manpower during the Revolution. It now made sense to them for a Faunus to be loyal to the Clan if they knew of this information, 'Even more so if the Faunus are Arcs themselves.' Sienna and Blake thought with a gulp.

**Ozpin sees the battle raging as Huntsmen attack the Grimm that are coming out of the water, trying desperately to thin their ranks.**

**Ghira and Kali were standing by a map as the Headmaster watches the battle below.**

**The soldier and Faunus walk towards the balcony. As they stand close enough behind Ozpin, they raise their weapons in preparation.**

The heroes hold their breaths in fear, holding each other as they watch the last Headmasters left alive about to die.

Ozpin was prepared, he died numerous times before. Though he was greatly saddened by this one, knowing that he dies without knowing why this time.

Salem felt some sadness as she watches this, holding her babies close.

Cinder, and the rest of the villains, were hoping to see their main threat finally die.

**But faster than the troops could react, Ozpin catches them by surprise and twirls, striking with his cane expertly at their necks. His aim was true, his power so great that he actually snapped both their necks on impact.**

The heroes flinched at the loud cracks of snapped necks, though they were happy that he managed to survive unlike so many others.

The villains meanwhile groaned in disappointment. Though Cinder did smirk a bit, seeing the Arcs failed at least once made feel a little better about herself.

**The Faunus couple gaped as they turned around to see what made that sickening noise and couldn't understand what just happened.**

**Just then, the two heard boots slamming into the ground, indicating that more soldiers were on the way. Kali calls out to Ozpin, who by this point was distracted with having just killed two people, to follow them.**

**Seeing his distraction, Ghira runs over and picks Ozpin up. Tossing him over his shoulder, he follows his wife while carrying the Headmaster with him like a sack of potatoes.**

Some of the audience chuckles at this little bit of humor, wanting to escape from this nightmare playing out before them.

**We cut to inside Beacon, where the audience sees that the students were already being overrun on the first floor. Fires had broken out in various sections inside, and swarms of these new soldiers buzzing into existence like a signal of their arrival.**

**The students and teachers could already see several students lying on the ground dead.**

**In a second floor, Cardin is surrounded by a couple of those weird skull-helmeted soldiers, blocking one of their sword strikes as he's panting from exhaustion, his Aura dangerously low. By his feet are the dead members of his team.**

**He fights as hard as he could, managing to land a direct hit on one of the soldiers in the chest and pulverizing his ribcage, before another comes up behind him and stabs him through the back. He doesn't do more than gasp as he kneels, then falls to the ground next to his dead friends.**

The students and teachers were horrified at this, seeing CRDL all dead with Cardin himself falling mere moments ago. The army sweeping across the school and their fellow students getting slaughtered. They know that this scene was happening with the other schools, which just made them feel even worse.

Cinder was seething, seeing the school fall but not because of her _brilliant_ strategies.

Salem smirked, still upset by the ease of the Arc's victory but willing to let it go as she sees Ozpin's precious school being razed to the ground.

**The screen then enters a storeroom on one of the upper levels, where Jaune quietly enters alone.**

Seeing Jaune made the students gulp in fear.

**There, huddled in the dark corners, are his team along with a few other students, all showing signs of fighting. "Jaune-Jaune?"**

**The view focuses on Nora as she stumbles over to him, clutching her hastily bandaged side as she hugs him. Smiling painfully, she steps back a few steps and says, "Jaune-Jaune! Oh thank goodness you're ok!" She pants slightly from the pain as the rest of their team steps forward in relief.**

**Shaking her head she asks, "There's too many of them, Fearless Leader. What are we going to do?" She looks at ****him with hope that he would have a plan for escaping this slaughter.**

His team was crying, pleading with Jaune to stop this madness.

Frigga and Odin held each other as they hoped their daughter would escape alive.

The other heroes felt their hearts hurt at the sight.

**A closeup of Jaune's face shows him looking back at them with a pained expression, tears dropping down his face, before showing his back and Nora's hopeful expression to the audience. He ignites his weapon, and her face turns from one of hope, to one of understanding and fear.**

Nora leaped from her seat and tried to run towards James, her team holding her back as she screams "You did this!" Earning the audience's attention.

James shook his head as tears fell, "I-It wasn't my fault. He was the one who ki-"

"SHUT UP!" Nora screamed, cutting him off. "You were the one who ordered his arrest! You forced Jaune-Jaune to turn on us all!" She cried as Ren hugged her, bringing her back to her seat. The next sentence broke many of the heroes' hearts, "It's your fault my big brother is gone..."

Frigga took her baby from Ren and held her in her arms, Odin bowing his head as his tears fell.

Cinder reverted back to lust. Seeing the Arc boy about to murder his team, his friends. It brought a sense of longing inside. 'I _want_ you.'

**Switching to a street in Vale, its people point and look at the direction of the school in fear. Zooming in on a group, it shows some crying. They knew that they had family attending and now they're watching massive a cloud of smoke and bright red lights emanating from the school.**

Saphron sat, looking at the screen with sadness in her gaze, "And thus, our revenge is complete." she whispered.

Terra looks at Saphron in sadness and horror, "How can you say that?" She whispers.

Saphron sighed and looks to her wife, "Sweetie, you must understand that we Arcs are extremely protective of our family. If one of us are in danger, then we all rise up to face it." She takes her hand in her own, then hugs her softly as she starts to tear up, "We just don't suffer fools who would try to harm us."

Terra hugged her back, "But they didn't," she whispers, earning her attention, "it was all based a lie."

Saphron leans back but doesn't break the embrace. She wipes her tears away before looking back to her wife and nods. "I know, I know. But my baby brother still died at the hands of Atlas." She took a glance at the broken General. "In front of my grandparents, two of the Clan's most respected and beloved leaders. Not only that, but his orders had also marked them for death." She shook her head. "They hold two seats in Mistral's Council. Even if we didn't go with Order 66, we would've still gone to war. Even tried to apprehend Ironwood himself with Order 37 (6)," she looked to her wife, who was now pale at the thought of war, and shook her head, "trust me Terra, you do not want to know what _that_ order would've entailed."

Terra _wanted_ to ask, but her wife's scared face told her that she really didnt, that it would've been worse than this Order 66.

Meanwhile, the rest of the heroes felt hollow, their homes were under attack by one of their own. And the next scene nearly broke what was left of their resolve.

**The screen cuts to an overhead view outside of Beacon where everyone can see its sacred halls, its majestic buildings, all of it were engulfed in flames and smoke. A few sounds of fighting could still be heard, but everyone can tell that it was over, Beacon had fallen.**

The villains were celebrating. While it wasn't their victory, they still celebrated as if it was. 'After all, your victory is _our_ victory.'

**Just then, a Bullhead came rushing in, landing in one of the few landing pads that _wasn't_ covered in the smoked out husks of what remained of the Atlassian defense fleet. A few soldiers were seen walking over to intercept whoever was inside this craft.**

**It soon lands in front of them, and its doors open. Lisa Lavender then steps out along with her filming crew.**

The audience didn't know why she came, the students shouting at her to get away from the skull-helmeted soldiers marching over to her.

**The troops stop in front of her. She looked at these strangers with confusion and fear. She looks towards the one in front, who she perceived as the leader of this group, and asks, "What's going on here?" She and her crew look at the devastation around them.**

**One of the guards steps forward and puts his palm forward in a halting motion while announcing, "There's been a rebellion, Ma'am." That got gasps from the civilians and the heroes in the audience, "But don't worry, the situation's under control."**

**Lisa wasn't willing to just accept that at face value and motioned for her crew to follow her before the announcer and the rest of his men drew their swords and pointed their weapons at them. "I'm sorry, Ma'am." The man says, before gesturing with his head to their ship, "But it's time for you to leave."**

Raven, finally over from seeing her brother's death and the Arcs destroying so much over such a small period of time, quietly urged the woman to flee quickly.

**Lisa gulps, and nods. "And so it is." She motions her crew to start heading back, glancing behind them every once in a while as they enter their ship.**

**Suddenly, the sound of something igniting and shouting was heard, and they look back to see Velvet jumping in, rolling on the ground as she slashed at the guards with a solid 'light-copy' of Jaune's weapon and slicing a few of the men, killing them.**

"Bun-Bun?!" Coco asks in fear, seeing her friend fighting, and holds her own version in a tight hug. "What are you doing, get out of there!"

Many wondered how she managed to gain a light copy of Jaune's sword, but seeing the wounds she's sporting, and the obvious lack of teammates, sort of answered that. Velvet, figuring out what became of her team, cried as she held onto her friend for support.

**One of them shouts, "Get her!" before being sliced across the chest.**

**Just then more started buzzing in, the noise that are now recognized as their arrival, and began to engage her.**

**She tries defending herself, but their numbers were too much, and eventually one of the guards slashes at her front, blood splashing out of her as she screams and falls to the ground dead.**

"NO!" Many of the students shout in despair, not wanting to believe another of their own dying in front of them.

**"NO!" Lisa screams as the doors close and the Bullhead rapidly starts flying away. Some of the guards move to intercept, but one of them says "Don't worry about them," as he kneels to inspect Velvet's body to make sure she was dead. "Let them go."**

**(Stop "March at the Jedi Temple")**

**We cut to a cave back at the sinkhole, where we see Winter coming up from the water, hurt but alive.**

"At least one made it through this travesty." Ozpin whispered, Weiss holding onto her sister as the two cried in relief.

Salem was impressed that she survived that fall, and noted that if she survived, then others may have as well.

Cinder also noted this. The two also believed that even if a few lived, they would be extremely easy to find and wipe out with their own forces.

Eve crossed her arms and grumbled that the Schnee managed to survive.

**She looks around her surroundings, removing her breathing apparatus that she always had on her for emergencies as she does so, before she starts swimming to the wall and begins climbing once she reached it.**

**A few seconds pass and she manages to climb the wall to a second cave just as two little seeker drones pop out of the water with their searchlights glowing.**

Many heroes held their breath and prayed that she wouldn't be spotted.

**She sees the drones and pressed himself against the wall of the smaller cave as the drones started searching the first. One of the seekers then begins to enter the smaller cave. As the light shines on the opposite wall and moves to the back of the cave, it accidentally illuminates a huge aquatic Grimm. The seeker paused for a moment, as if saying "Oh shit!", before the Grimm lunges at the thing and consumes it in one bite.**

**The second drone shines its light on the Grimm as the evil creature tries to grab it. Winter slinks off toward the back of the cave, thanking her lucky stars for the save back there.**

The heroes all sigh in relief, ironically thanking a Grimm for helping to save a Huntress.

**Back to Menagerie, on some hills overlooking a lake, a column of 8 tanks rolls up on a hill and stops. The hatch of the lead tank pops open, and climbing up was a Faunus commander. She sees several destroyed Bullheads along with several bodies. The vastly different colored/looking uniforms for each individual being more than enough proof that these were Huntsmen.**

**The commander briefly sneers at the bodies, then opens up a channel for her column, "Nothing here but dead Huntsmen." She then points to the right. "First squad, move to the East." The audience hears various affirmatives, and 3 tanks separate from the rest to carry out their orders.**

The Faunus couldn't believe that the Arcs had so many of their people under their influence.

Neither did the humans.

**On a separate hill, far away from the tanks, Kali and Ghira, after putting down Ozpin, goes to a tree and pulls down one of its branches. There they see a small transport hidden within the brush. Oz opens the door of the small vehicle, before looking back to the couple. "Goodbye Kali, Ghira. I'll miss you both, you have always been good friends. I thank you for all the help you've given me."**

Blake's eyes widened at the news of her parents being friends with Ozpin, 'Maybe _that's_ why I was accepted into Beacon so easily?'

**Ghira nods while Kali says "Anytime, just promise me you'll find my kitten and keep her safe." He nods, promising that he'll do what he can, before climbing into the transport and takes off into the morning sky.**

**We then cut back to the sinkhole, now late in the morning.**

**There, the audience sees that the battle is over, and the remains of the White Fang have surrendered.**

Eve grounded her teeth at her soldiers losing to a bunch of Atlas scum.

**It cuts to a balcony surrounded by pillars, where soldiers are marching a few White Fang prisoners into a transport.**

**It then cuts to another level, where behind one of the pillars, Winter is hiding from a group of her own troops.**

**She soon sees Arthur walking up to them. 'Arthur, why have you betrayed me?' She notices that the others aren't raising a fuss about his attempt to murder her. 'What is going on?'**

**She then hears him speak to the squad, "Did you find Specialist Schnee yet?"**

**One of the troopers shakes her head, "Commander Arc, no one could have survived that fall." She says, and t****hus proving Cinder's theory of his relations to the Arc Clan.**

**She watches them as some nearby prisoners are being escorted by more troops into some of the transports.**

**Arthur sighs in frustration, but nods to his subordinate's statement, "Very well, good job all of you. Start loading your men on the ship."**

**The soldiers all straighten their postures in pride as the woman nods, "Yes, sir."**

To see these soldiers be so proud of his words... It made many fear of the Arcs having even more sway then they initially thought.

**Winter sneaks back to the secret platform, and down a flight of stairs. There, she makes her way out of the cave and onto the White Fang leader's secret landing platform. She runs to the ship parked there, ignoring the corpse of said leader that she had killed earlier, and climbs into the one-man ship.**

Eve glares, knowing who was in charge of that base, and not believing that he could've lost to a filthy Schnee.

Sienna also glared, seeing that this Faunus was a member of Adam's group. 'Wait, what do we call his female form? Eve?' She stops to ponder, conveniently forgetting what she was thinking before.

**The ship takes off and disappears into the morning sky.**

**Inside, once she felt she was far enough away from the watchful eyes of her former army, she activates the relay on the ship and punches in several coordinates and codes. A slow beeping sound is soon heard. It quickly speeds up until it is a steady tone. Winter looks relieved as she speaks into her commlink. "Emergency Code 9-13... I have no contact on any frequency. Are there any Huntsmen out there?" Nothing. "...Anyone?"**

The Huntsmen lower their heads. They had hoped that more survived, but now were thinking that maybe she and Ozpin _were_ the only ones left.

**She began to lose hope when a burst of static is heard, and a fuzzy holographic image appears.**

**The hologram tries speaking, but it's a garbled mess. Only one word was coherent enough to make it through, "...Schnee..."**

**Pressing a few buttons, hoping to bust the signal, she says "I've locked on. Repeat."**

**The fuzzy image comes into focus, it's Ozpin! "Winter Schnee?"**

**Winter was never as happy as she was right now to see the old headmaster. She breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Headmaster Ozpin! Oh thank heavens. Please, my troops have turned on me, I need help."**

**Oz nods in contemplation, "I have just escaped from my own men." He paused to stroke his chin in worry. "It appears this ambush has happened everywhere. I'm sending you the coordinates to a ship that an old friend has graciously allowed us passage for." He finishes then his hologram vanishes.**

**Several hours later, Winter's ship docks with a beat-up old transport ship.**

**The door to the main hallway slides open, and Winter enters and is greeted by Ozpin and the captain of the ship, a mouse Faunus named Anon Y. Mouse. The three soon walk down the hallway.**

**The Faunus nods to her, "You made it. That's great."**

**Oz sighed in slight happiness to see a somewhat familiar face again. "Miss Schnee." He smiles weakly to her, "It's good to see you."**

**Winter gazed at him in worry, "You were attacked by your soldiers as well, sir?"**

**Oz nods with a pained expression on his face, "Yes, I was. It was only with the help of the Belladonnas that I barely managed to escape****."**

**Winter looked imploringly to him, "How many other Huntsmen managed to survive?" But was saddened to see him shake his head in sadness.**

**Anon said what Oz was trying to say, "We've heard from no one." He said sadly.**

**'No.' Winter was worried as she thought of her sister. 'Weiss. Please be safe.'**

**He then explained his reason for being here, "I saw thousands of unknown troops attacking Beacon. It's why I went looking for Ozpin."**

**She looked to the captain, "Have we had any contact from the school?" Hoping for some news about the whereabouts of her dear baby sister.**

**Oz stops in his tracks, making the other two stop as well, "We've received a coded retreat message."**

**Anon continued with "It requests for all Huntsmen to return to the 4 academies. It says that something of grave importance has occurred, and that needs all hands were needed to come back."**

"It's a trap." Penny whispered, thinking of how many surviving Huntsmen could potentially fall to this deception.

The audience was shocked by number of contingencies the Arcs had in taking down the Huntsmen.

**Winter widened her eyes at the Faunus, immediately smelling a trap. "Well, then we must go back!" She looks to Ozpin, "If there are other stragglers, they will fall into this trap and be killed."**

**Anon shakes his head, "It's too dangerous to return to that place."**

**Oz though, strokes his head in thought. "You suggest that we head to Beacon and dismantle the coded signal?"**

Ruby nodded, "You have to! If you don't, anyone who survived would be in grave danger!"

**She nods frantically, "Yes, Headmaster. There's simply too much at stake, and we need to know what is really happening here."**

**The old man contemplates on this, "We find ourselves in a dark time." He turns to her and nods, "A little more knowledge may light our way."**

**Back at Beacon, we see Jaune rummaging over Oz's computer, looking for anything that may help him in finding any stragglers. He was in the middle of thanking Terra for supplying them with her decryption software (Terra: "I didn't mean to create it for that purpose!"), when three of the mysterious soldiers buzzed into existence.**

**Jaune turns to face them and orders "Report."**

The heroes looked on with sorrow, seeing the kind light in his eyes snuffed out. The young man who once dreamed of becoming a Huntsman to help the weak, gone.

The parents held their children, with the exception of Raven. She got a hug from Vernal's child, which earned her a glare but a hug back.

The villainesses drooled at his more mature look, wondering how they would go about turning their current version to be more like him.

**The three bow in salute before the one in the middle steps forward, "My Lord."**

The title shocked many in the audience. 'Just what did he do in the past to inspire such devotion for him?'

**"We have received reports from the Generals." He looks directly at his leader, "Their missions are complete. They can sense no high levels of energy anywhere around the academies." Jaune nods solemnly, knowing that with their sensing abilities they could find any survivor within the radius of a few miles.**

***Sigh* "So that's it then," he glanced out the window, "every Huntsmen within the 4 cities are no more."**

The students, teachers, and even several of the villains, were scared.

The heroes for Jaune admitting that everyone in and around the academies were slain. 'That means that thousands are dead!'

The villains because they had already infiltrated Beacon, and they didn't want to find out that they died too. Salem was back to being jealous, knowing that while her faction had killed many more Huntsmen than that, she had to admit that they _never_ killed so many over the course of a single day.

**The soldier then hands Jaune a black scroll. ****He raises an eyebrow as he takes it. "What is this?"**

**The soldier went on to explain that the scroll was left abandoned by its owner shortly before they attacked. "It seems as though they were in a hurry, their room was in complete disarray before we arrived."**

**'Perhaps looking for this little guy.' Jaune thinks.**

Salem glared at Cinder, knowing just _who_ that scroll belonged to. Cinder gulped as she felt the glare, though she and her 'team' were glad that they had managed to escape.

**He then addresses the three. "Good work, gentlemen. Prepare to move out, but leave a small contingent behind in case any stragglers come here. However unlikely that is, we must remain cautious." They nod and bowed again, before buzzing out of the room.**

**Jaune sighs and sits down at Oz's old chair, opening up the scroll but noticed that the thing was heavily encrypted. He smirked, "Not for long."**

**He then went to use his sister-in-law's tool to take apart the security systems of the device.**

Watts scoffed at the notion of his work being hacked, even saying "Oh please, it would take days, no _weeks_, for this child's work to undue my security measures."

**It took just 10 minutes before he cracked the thing open.**

He looked on in shock as Cinder laughed at him.

**'Once again, thank you Terra for giving us this gift.' He then ran through the scroll's contact list before settling on the one with the title MISTRESS as the name.**

Cinder stopped laughing, shrinking as Salem glared at her again.

**He would've just ignored it, "Probably just a kink of the person who owned it." He says with a snort.**

**But his instincts screamed at him that this was important. He narrowed his eyes and opened the contact information. In it, he saw nothing but a picture. A picture of someone that he recognized.**

Many eyebrows rose up, even Salem was surprised, as Jaune apparently recognized her from when she was still Grimm.

They all pondered how that was possible. Salem thought back to her previous members, trying to think if she had actually employed an Arc in the past. But she ended up drawing a blank. "Curious..." She said with an intrigued expression.

No one noticed her children looking a bit sheepish.

**He immediately went to the computer, wondering if Ozpin knew anything about this woman. 'It can't just be a coincidence that this person just so _happens_ to have contact information on _her_, while Ozpin betrays us.'**

**Thankfully, he had already cracked the encryptions here as they were just a bit more advanced than the ones on the scroll.**

**He was looking over the data, seeing a lot in here. Folders full of information about Magic, Maidens, Relics, Silver Eyes, The Brother Gods...**

The students were all confused.

Ruby was curious over the one labeled 'Silver Eyes'. She wondered what that meant, before being hugged by her mom and dad in an attempt to make her forget about it, which she did.

"Magic?" Weiss scoffed at the idea, "Please, magic isn't real."

Yang nodded, "Yeah, and Maidens? Aren't they all just a fairytale?"

Many nodded or voiced their agreements, never knowing how many of the adults were squirming in their seats.

Ozpin hoped that Jaune wouldn't open any of those folders, same with Qrow and Glynda. The latter of whom stealthily smacked the back of his head for even _having_ such delicate information stored there in the first place.

Salem looked at the screen, thinking that she'll get some locations of the whereabouts of the Maidens and the Relics, grinning at how the young man just handed this information over to her on a silver platter.

Cinder thought the same thing, even taking out her scroll and recording this goldmine of information.

**All of it worthless to the Arcs. *Groan* "We already know all this." He moved on without a second glance, grumbling "This is old news, we've known the truth behind those legends for centuries."**

_That_ shocked everyone, no more than Ozpin himself.

Weiss shakes her head and shouts, "Oh for the love of Oum, those are just fairytales! Stories!"

Many voiced their agreements, mostly the ones who didn't know the truth, but a few that did know also agreed in order to help keep the secrecy.

Ozpin wondered how they knew, thinking that perhaps the Arcs have been around for a _long_ time.

**Jaune searched deeper, and then he found it. A folder regarding the one he was searching for. He gulps, before hesitantly opening it much to Ozpin's worry. The information inside was pretty bare, only coordinates to a location and a single page worth of information about her. The most important of which was the label Ozpin used when he was addressing her near the beginning of her bio.**

**"Wife" He whispers in awe.**

Many looked at each other in confusion, wondering why that word held any significance.

Saphron was looking at the man with a pale face. 'The All-father... _HE'S_ THE ALL-FATHER?!'

**He takes his scroll out, and copies the information in the folder. After that was done, he proceeded to wipe the computer clean. By the end of this, nothing was left.**

"Probably for the best." Glynda whispered, smacking Ozpin in the back of the head again while Salem and Cinder seethed at the destruction of this knowledge.

**He nods at his work before setting up a call with the leaders of the Clan.**

**A few minutes later he sees miniature holograms of the Arc Council. He kneels in respect towards his grandparents along with the other two Elders.**

**They were all wearing cloaks with their hoods up, 'Don't know why, the Clan all knows they are.' he thinks as the identities of the Elders were never really a secret to them, it was simply tradition.**

**To his far left was a man who, if he didn't have his hood on, had a bald head and blue eyes. He was sort of pale, with some markings over his eyes. He was Dessel Arc, or 'Elder Bane' (7) as was his codename under the hood. He's the oldest currently in the Council. He was also a General in charge of the military department of the Arc Clan during the Great War, refusing to ally with Mistral or Mantle, and instead leading his army to lay waste to Mantle's forces, and helping to bring the war to a quicker end.**

Those from Atlas knew of him, and shuddered at his name. Though they didn't know that he was an Arc. This made them very wary, wondering who else in modern history was a member of this family.

Raven also knew about him, and was in awe. She was seeing the man who was basically her hero growing up! She instantly went and took a picture of him on her scroll. After that, she resolved to 'convince' the boy to join her side. 'With his legacy, and our power, we will make such powerful children together.'

Yang asked, "So, what did this 'Bane' guy do during the Great War?"

Ozpin, seeing those from Atlas shiver at the mention of his name again, answered. "It was said that he refused to fight for such a dishonorable cause, and instead allied with Vale. He led an army of his kin to wipe out hundreds of thousands of troops over the course of the war. He ordered his men to leave no survivors, wanting them to 'suffer for their transgressions against the Arcs'. It was this brutality that had forced the final battle between the Four Kingdoms. He destroyed so much of Mantle's forces that they never recovered, and is a key reason why Atlas mostly relies on droids today. To the Kingdom, he is the _bane_ of their existence."

While they thought that Dessel was right in wanting to aid Vale in the fight, the ones who didn't know were horrified that a member of Jaune's family ordered his troops to leave no survivors, 'And Jaune is following in his footsteps.'

**"Elder Bane." Jaune says as he addressed him first.**

"I don't get it." Roman said, scratching the back of his head, "Why the codenames if their family already knows who they are? And why the robes?"

Jack sighed and rolled his eyes, "It's because of their ancient traditions, and a sign of respect. They've been doing this shtick for millennia, back to the first Arcs."

The audience was stunned, not realizing that the Arcs were that old. Ozpin was now confident that the Arcs simply knew the truth because they were around long enough to witness the events, and kept records of them.

Jack explained further, "Every person who's in the Arc Council are given the title 'Elder', followed by a codename based on what that person did against their enemies, like Bane. The only way you can be nominated is if you display a great feat of bravery or strength in the name of the Clan. If you are selected to be a candidate for one of their positions, you receive the title of 'Lord' or 'Lady'. It's a way for others in the Clan to recognize your current status. This is so that if the Elders die, the Arcs will have several candidates to choose from" He looks to the audience, "Got it?"

They all nodded.

Raven really appreciated this system, 'Only the strong may rule.' She grinned, she _really_ liked this system, fantasizing what her title would be, 'Maybe Lady Revan...' She chuckled at the name, earning weird looks from Vernal and Amber, as she just reversed the vowels in her name.

Vernal raised a point, "But wait, if there are several candidates, but so few positions, won't that cause strife or even civil war between the various candidates?"

Jack nodded, "Normally, this would hold true. However, it is because of the will of the first Arcs, the ones whose teachings and guidance have been ingrained in their very blood for generations, that they would not do so. To them, it would sully their honor by going against the Clan." He looks to the audience, "They would rather die than raise their arms against their family."

The audience were surprised by this information.

The heroes wanted to know the teachings of the first Arcs, to see how their teachings can bring Huntsmen more closer together in their fight against the Grimm.

The villains quickly realized that if they could gain the loyalty of a single prominent Arc, and elevated him to a higher standing within the Clan, then they would get the Arcs on their side. They looked to Jaune, 'And I think we may have found our way in.'

Terra looked to her wife with shock, and saw her smile back a bit sheepishly.

Saphron leaned in and pecked her lips, before whispering, "You are an Arc," she looks at her again, "you are family."

Terra smiles, still a bit apprehensive over what the Arcs have done, but was willing to look the other way, 'Besides, this isn't our fate.' She looks back at the screen, 'Not yet at least. We can change this future, it's not set in stone.' Her eyes turn hard, 'I will not stand by and allow my family to fall like this.'

Unbeknownst to her, Salem's children were secretly smiling, listening to her inner thoughts and thinking, 'She shows the Passion of a true Arc.'

**To the center left, was a wolf Faunus with long silver hair done in a ponytail, matching colored wolf ears, grey eyes and light skin. He was arguably the most powerful member of the council and while not an Arc by blood, he was very committed to the Clan. To the point where he had tattooed the symbol of the Clan on his forehead and discarded his old name and took on his title as his new one. Exar Kun, or Grand Elder Vitiate (8).  
**

That name made many of the older adults shiver in fear, while the Faunus sat back in shock.

The other heroes dreaded to wonder what horrors this man did.

Raven approved of the man's loyalty towards the Clan, believing that he would've made an excellent Branwen if given the opportunity.

**The Faunus who led thousands of the Clan into battle during the Faunus Revolution. The one who singlehandedly slaughtered nearly a hundred Huntsmen in a single battle. He had personally rescued hundreds of thousands of Faunus slaves before and during the Revolution, leading an army of Arcs with his grandpa joining in. They were later joined up with his grandma who coincidentally also led an army of freed Faunus slaves, and was vicious to any slavers unlucky enough to be captured by him. Using a metal pole with a singlehanded hilt in the middle and packed with concentrated fire dust to burn/cauterize any wound, he was well known for lopping off limbs, similar to how the slavers chopped off Faunus appendages to make them more 'appealing'.**

**Jaune kept his gaze low as he said, ****"Grand Elder Vitiate."**

The heroes, though horrified of the man's actions, did understand the reasons behind them. None of them condoned the method of slavery, nor what those true beasts did to the poor Faunus, and so felt that the slavers got what they deserved.

Blake and Velvet narrowed their eyes while the former hissed as they heard of their people being tortured like that, and were happy to know that he had managed to rescue so many of them.

The White Fang members were in awe as seeing one of the great heroes of the Faunus Revolution, and greatly surprised when they saw that he was an Arc.

'Impossible!' Eve shouted in her mind. 'I looked up to him when I was growing up, and I never heard of him settling down at all!' Though that was soon curbed by the thought of how this could be used to her advantage. 'The Arcs are run by two Faunus, both have apparently seen our plight and have fought for our freedom in the past...' She narrows her eyes, "They could make wonderful allies." She whispers.

The villains were shocked that they never enlisted the Arcs before now.

Salem was mentally banging her head against a shelf. 'Why didn't I use this family before?! If those Elders were so powerful, why didn't I seize them while they were still in their prime?!' She bemoaned that she didn't find this out sooner. "Well no more." She muttered, narrowing her eyes at the screen. "The Arcs are firmly entrenched within the Kingdoms, if I have them, then the Kingdoms will fall."

**To his far right was his grandfather, Jacob Arc. He was the face of the Arcs, and a savvy politician during his youth, he had to be in order to acquire a seat in Mistral's council for both himself and his Faunus wife. However, don't let that fool you, he was a powerful and dangerous fighter as well. Wielding two blades and with the use of his Semblance, he was an unstoppable force of nature during the Faunus Revolution. He was one of the first Arcs to answer Exar Kun's call to arms. He was as crafty in battle as he was in politics, using his surroundings to help him in his fights. In a duel against a slaver leader who tried to sack and enslave a small town populated by Faunus, it was reported that the man was sneaky, tricky... insidious. The last name stuck, and when he was appointed to be the next Elder, he was titled...**

**"Elder Sidious."**

The students sighed in relief, glad to know that the old man didn't commit any horrible things during his youth, and was happy that he was given that title because he simply helped save his family from slavery.

The Faunus were mostly happy that a human from that era was so committed to helping their people, even if they were Arcs.

**And lastly, to center right, was his grandma. Jeanne Arc was an interesting character. She was a Faunus that grew up a slave in a city that was home to a tyrannical ruler. She was always disobedient, always running away. During one of her escapes, she came across Jacob, and she was instantly smitten with him. His curly hair blowing in the wind, his happy smile, the way his eyes danced with merriment. It didn't hurt that she caught him while he was taking a bath in a nearby river.**

Many were disgusted by her previous status, though the more romantic members of the audience all sighed at seeing this love story from a fairytale play out. They also blushed when they saw a younger and naked Jacob.

**After introducing herself, getting a blush and shrill scream of embarrassment from the young man, they began to talk. Over the course of a week they got to know each other and went on a few dates. He told her stories about his family, how kind and honorable they were, everything that her ruler was not. It was wonderful, but she knew it wouldn't last long. She would eventually be found, and after she heard the stories she knew what she had to do.**

**She chose to sneak back into the city, while 'borrowing' a few weapons from the Arc storehouses. There, she incited a rebellion amongst the Faunus, freeing her people while slaughtering their masters. She then led her people to neighboring slave towns to free more of her kind. While on the march, she came across Exar Kun and Jacob, then Lord Sidious. She immediately pledged her allegiance to the Arcs, and went on to fight beside them, even marrying her love a few months later. She was very deceptive and cunning. One of her more famous moves was to mask her ears, and head inside a city to buy an army of Faunus slaves. Once the purchase had been complete, she ordered her new troops to slay their former masters. She went on to take over the city, and handed command of the army over to Exar Kun, who shook his head and told her that this army of freed Faunus was hers to command.**

**She was hailed as a hero by the freed slaves and the Clan, and when it was time for her to be an Elder, she requested a title befitting of her actions.**

**"Elder Traya (9)."**

The White Fang had stars in their eyes, seeing another hero from the Revolution.

They were at first against the marriage. However, Sienna and Ilia felt that the man was one of the few humans worthy of wedding a Faunus, seeing as how he helped a town of Faunus in the past, and was one of the first to fight for their freedom. They also saw how this alliance benefited their people in the past.

The heroes, though a bit uncomfortable at her ordering so many deaths, felt that she made the right choice as those killed were just more slavers.

Raven felt inspired with new ideas on how her tribe could be even more effective.

**Vitiate raised his hand, "Rise, Jaune Arc." He quickly did so. "Report."**

**Jaune nodded, before describing the state of the schools, saying how his Generals were successful in purging them, while also announcing his own success.**

Salem beamed with pride while Cinder pouted.

**Sidious and Traya nodded grimly, seeing the effects the slaughter had on their grandson.**

**Bane narrowed his eyes, "Are you certain that we should trust these people?" He didn't like how this army, which he'd never even heard a _whisper_ of before today, had hidden themselves for so long. And thus, he held a great distrust for them.**

**Jaune immediately turns to Bane and narrows his eyes while replying, "I swear on my honor and blood as an Arc, these people are completely loyal to the Clan."**

**The others in the Council visibly relaxed, seeing how confident he spoke. "Very well," Sidious says as he raised his hand to gesture that this little inquiry was over. "Now then. Have you found anything in Ozpin's office regarding any hideouts that we need to look out for?"**

**Jaune shakes his head, "None, Elder Sidious. However," he stops briefly as he looks at the Elders with narrowed eyes, "I believe that I may have found something else." Their heads perk up in intrigue. "I believe I may have found the location of the All-Mother."**

**The Elders gasp in shock, looking at him like he had just told them that the world was ending tomorrow.**

The audience looked at each other in bewilderment, "All-Mother?" "What?" and more were asked between themselves.

They couldn't understand why Jaune used that title when depicting Salem.

Pyrrha made her own theory known, "Maybe," she starts, silencing the audience "maybe they don't know about Salem, at least by name. Some had long speculated that the Grimm had to have come from somewhere, and that a 'Queen' had always guided them." The more she said, the more she was confident in her reasoning. "It was never a popular, nor well received theory for obvious reasons. The Arcs must have held similar views, seeing this 'All-Mother' as the leader of the Grimm."

Ren nods, "That does make some sense, after all she did look more like a humanized Grimm," he glanced at the human Salem, "at least before the gods gave us our gifts."

**Vitiate stared at Jaune, "Are you certain?" Jaune looks at him with complete seriousness, and nods. He strokes his chin in contemplation, "This is..." he stops to think as Sidious and Traya whisper to each other regarding something else. The audience could only catch small snippets.**

**"Do you think...actually the One?" Jacob asked her.**

**Jeanne shakes her head, "... no mistake... One of Prophecy..."**

**Bane narrows his eyes at Jaune, not liking this one bit. "Enough." He said, getting everyone's attention. "Maybe he is the One," he glanced at the couple, "maybe not. However, that can wait." He looks back and peers deeply into Jaune's eyes. "For now, are you sure that you found the All-Mother?"**

**Jaune nods his head, "Positive."**

**Bane nods and looks to his fellow Elders, "I happen to believe that he is worthy, don't you agree?"**

**Vitiate nodded, "He has proven himself on this day." He looks at a surprised Jaune, and grins. "He has shown his bravery and loyalty to the Clan." Sidious and Traya nod, looking at their grandson with pride.**

Ruby looks at her friends in confusion, "Wait, what's happening?"

Blake looks at the screen with a thoughtful expression. "He said that Jaune's shown bravery, and loyalty. Something that Jack said were conditions for..." Her eyes widen as she looks back at her friends. "They are indicators for him receiving the title of Lord of the Arc Clan!"

Everyone was shocked. They all wondered what his title would be. Saphron was beaming with pride at her baby brother getting recognition for his efforts, however terrible they may have been.

**He turns back to the still stunned boy, "Kneel, young Arc."**

**Jaune slowly does so, still in shock. Not believing that this was happening.**

**With the Elders joining in, Vitiate begins reciting the Code of the Elders. "On this day, you shattered the Peace of your rivals. On this day, you wielded the Passion of our bloodline. On this day, you showed Strength in the face of adversity. On this day, you unleashed your Power against our foes. On this day, you achieved Victory over those who would see us gone. On this day, you Broke the will of your enemies." (10)  
**

Many of the heroes didn't feel right over the implications of this speech. Raven loved it, recording the words with her scroll as she had stars in her eyes.

The heroes felt as if their strength was draining, while the villains were feeling empowered by this code for some odd reason.

**Jaune closed his eyes, feeling great honor as he knew what was coming next, yet he felt saddened by _how_ he got this recognition.**

This emotion from Jaune made many of the heroes feel as though not all was lost, that some small measure of light from the kind, goofy young man still remained within him.

Ruby, Ozpin, and Qrow suddenly felt a soft warmth engulfing them. They felt a sense of peace, filling them with hope in this dark time. They each looked around, desperately hoping to find out where this feeling was coming from. They felt that they were close, then they looked down. They each felt the warmth emanating from the place where they each stored their letters from the god warrior of six blades.

'It's the letters!' They each thought, before remembering the kind words the god gave them, his heartfelt encouragements of hope for each of them. And like that, they felt their hope for this future restored.

As they remembered what the god wrote for them, they smiled, earning confused looks from those closest to them. They looked to the screen with a newfound sense of determination, 'Thank you. Thank you for believing in us once more.'

After they thought this, they felt kindness emanating from the letters once more, as if the god was thanking them for their kind words through the letters.

**As the Code was finished, the Elders stood up and Vitiate says, "Henceforth, you shall be known as Lord..." He pauses to think of a proper title for his actions, then smiled. "Vader."**

The heroes shivered at the name, immediately realizing the meaning behind his new title. However, the three still held on to their hope.

Salem took notice of this and frowned. She very much enjoyed seeing Ozpin all miserable.

**Still kneeling to the council, the newly appointed Lord Vader says "Thank you, Grand Elder."**

**"Rise." Vitiate motions him to stand, which he does.**

**Bane says, "You are Lord of the Arcs, the safety of the Clan resides in you."**

**Sidious continues, "This news regarding the All-Mother is a bit concerning, the prophecy had not mentioned this..." he stops to think, "Or perhaps, we have simply been misreading it all this time."**

**Traya looks at Vader, "You have found her location through Ozpin's computer?"**

**He nods, then says "Yes, as well as how to contact her from another student."**

Salem scowls at Cinder for her stupidity.

**She looks away as she rubs her chin, "Yet another student. Another betrayal by him then?" She nods, turning back to her grandson. "Give us the information, _we_ will contact her."**

The heroes gulped, worried that the Arcs will soon align themselves with Salem. The woman herself couldn't help but grin as she watched these events unfold. 'Oh my, how fortuitous! and I don't even have to lift a finger.' She looks to Ozpin, 'The Arcs will be the key to your _final_ fall, Ozpin.'

**"Meanwhile, head to her location, fulfill the prophecy."**

**He bows, "It will be done."**

**The Elders nod back, and the transmission ends.**

Penny scratched the back of her head nervously, "What is this prophecy they keep mentioning?"

They all look to Saphron, being the only Arc who could possibly answer that.

She looked at everyone, and was going to say nothing, but heard a voice in her head telling her, 'It is alright, you have our blessing.'

She glanced at Oma, who stealthily gave her a soft smile and nod. She then gave a deep breath and sat up.

"The Ancient Prophecy," she began, "was handed down through the Arc bloodline for millennia." She looks around to see that she has the audience's undivided attention, though she did notice some were a bit skeptical. "It was first given to us by what we refer to as The Sacred Four Pillars, the first of the Arc Clan." She closed her eyes as she began to recite the prophecy that all Arcs were forced to memorize so that they would never forget.

_"The Age of Two has reached its End, As The Chosen One born of Eight Ascends._

_First tested by conquering the Realms of Death, He will lay claim over a Prized Jewel._

_Four Pillars guide the Blood through Ages Past, The Heir will usher The Fourth Age's Rule._

_The Undying must Fall by His sword Alone, Or else the True Enemy will Reign Supreme._

_May the Blood allow Him strength of Hope, Rise before the Two strikes down the Three._

_Only Blood may Free the All-Mother's Curse, Release the All-Father who has been Bound._

_He finds the Way to the Sunken Legacy, Through Ancient Rings the Fifth has been Found._

_He opens the Ark against The Enemy's Power, and Brightens the Stars in their Darkest Hour."_

She opened her eyes once more, to see that the audience were looking at her in shock and disbelief.

**END**

**All done for this chapter, as for what happens next, oh boy! However, that won't be for awhile because the Crash deleted all my work for the next bit, so I had to start from scratch. I won't even start for a couple days because this one tired me out.**

**So here we are: The Ancient Arc Prophecy! If you are a Sci-Fi**** fan, you'll know what some of those lines meant. So I'll leave you guys to ponder what this all means. For the lack of rhymes here, well not _every_ prophecy has them you know! As for the numbers, trust me, it'll make sense as we move on.**

**So yeah, Pyrrha's dead...again... Sorry? To be perfectly honest with you guys, she never would've stood a chance. Jaune, while still holding a thin metal(?) rod, can still teleport. And with him moving at high speeds, she would be hard-pressed to catch him with her Semblance. And even if she could, he still has extras. And if by some miracle she managed to fully disarm him, she would've still found it difficult to hit him! While he isn't as fast as before, _yet_, his speed would've still left Pyrrha extremely confused as she 'knows' that he didn't have any previous training, and thus knows how he fights (having trained him herself). She's _never_ seen him move that quickly before, and all it takes is one moment in a lapse of concentration to lose a fight. Lastly, Seele Schneider is quite possibly the _worst_ weapon she could possibly face off against. The blade would've _absolutely_ cleaved through her sword and shield no problem with its chainsaw-like blade. Only really being _slowed down_ if she used her Aura to protect their entire surfaces from its damage, and even _that's_ a bad idea. First off, that's a _lot_ of real-estate for her Aura to protect. Second, Seele Schneider _literally_ eats energy that comes from the soul to strengthen its cutting power. I'm pretty sure that using her Semblance on it would've gone just as badly too. So yeah, this is an easy win for Jaune, at least in my opinion. She's just not _fast_ enough to stop him from striking at _all_ angles (AN: "Hint-hint people!")**

**Now, I'm sure you're all probably wondering why the Sith names.**

**Explanation time :)**

**While I didn't initially plan for that, I received a LOT of requests for them. I know how the Sith are supposed to be evil, and how the reasons for the Elders receiving their codenames may be a bit convoluted, but this was the _only_ way I could come up with that would have them get those titles without making them be evil. A****ll of the actions performed by the Elders were seen as heroic by the people they helped in the past, those who _won_ their conflicts, but to their defeated enemies they are nothing more than monsters. Same with Jaune, he led the destruction of the Huntsmen Academies, and will be seen as a monster by the survivors and many of the regular population; but once the next chapter is released (with a speech, concrete evidence, and a certain scene), many of those same people will view him and the rest of the Arcs as Remnant's true saviors.**

**Explanation time over :D**

**Hope you all have a great day, and I'll see you in the next update. Heads up, the end notes here is pretty big. Also, so that I don't repeat myself, all Arrancars are in gigais**. **Part of the reason why Jaune went to Urahara. The mask fragments are merely there because they didn't want to hide them. Also, if you're wondering why it took the guy seemingly no time at all to make all those new bodies, well keep in mind that time moves _very_ slowly over at Soul Society and Hueco Mundo. He simply had Urahara make the gigais in the latter location. Same reason for how Jaune managed to gain such a massive force for when he assaulted the academies at the same time.**

**1\. Rudbornn Chelute's clone army. Keep in mind, his fate according to the Wiki states that his fate is 'Unknown', which means that's he's ripe for the picking! See what I did there?... Those who know of his ability will get it :'( Also, if you've seen him in action when he makes his army, you'll notice that he can make a _shit-ton_ of them in a _very_ short amount of time.**

**2\. Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck. I also had her injuries healed. If Grimmjow could get his arm back and back healed by Orihime, then why not Nel? Also, Orihime isn't in this story (would be kind of awkward if she was), instead her character is swapped out with someone else, not telling who. Picture her in her old Espada uniform.**

**3\. Tier Harribel. Picture her with her Espada uniform.**

**4\. Dorothy Gales from the Wizard of Oz, and her faithful dog Toto. I used the other name because apparently it's an alternative to Dorothy. In the movie, Toto is a he but the dog used for the film was actually female, the last name is the name of the dog breed Toto was, and the first name is a type of gem. Also had her with a sword where the blade is made of a solid piece of ruby sharpened to have an extremely sharp edge (hey, if the Aztecs could get away with weapons made of what is basically glass for their actual blades, then I figure I'm alright).**

**5\. Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez. Picture him with his Espada uniform. I decided to keep the scar on his chest as a badge of honor, shows how Jaune was once his opponent and he fought him in the past.**

**6\. Order 37: Capture of a single wanted individual through the mass arrest and threatened execution of a civilian population. Follow-up directives include scenarios for body disposal of civilian casualties and suppression of communications. So yeah, if they ordered this one to find James, Atlas (and maybe Mantle) would be fucked. Just thank the heavens that there isn't a Base-Delta-Zero comparison here.**

**7\. Darth Bane destroyed the Sith and instilled the Rule of Two in order to have the Dark Side concentrated in two individuals, his own order had brought the Sith ultimate victory for a time. He was listed as having blue eyes before they turned Sith.**

**8\. Darth Vitiate was one of my favorite Sith Lords in Legends. He ruled in some capacity for almost 2 millennia, far longer than _any_ _other_ Sith before or after. And Exar Kun was a Sith Lord that didn't try to exert control over the Dark Side of the Force, was the first to become a thought to be impossible _Sith force ghost_, and was so powerful that it took a much older Luke (who was way more powerful than he was during Episode 6) and his entire Jedi Praxium to take him out. For this reason, he's the leader of the Arc Council.**

**9\. Darth Traya was a Jedi Master and historian, who was exiled by the Jedi High Council because her students followed her former Padawan, Revan, to fight against the invading Mandalorians and later turned to the Dark Side. She later discovered two men who became her Sith apprentices, Darth Sion and Darth Nihilus. She was later exiled by Sion and Nihilus, who stripped their Master of her connection to the Force. After being snubbed by both the Jedi and Sith, she held a disgust for both Orders. I just simply reversed it a bit, instead of being betrayed, she was the betrayer. Also, not doing a note for Sidious, I think that a lot of people would recognize the name and some of his more popular traits by now. As for her plan during the Faunus Revolution: think of Daenerys Targaryen from Game of Thrones buying The Unsullied and ordering them to kill the Masters.**

**10\. '_Peace_ is a lie. There is only _Passion_. Through Passion I gain _Strength_. Through Strength I gain _Power_. Through Power I gain _Victory_. Through Victory my chains are _Broken_. The Force shall set me free.' Since I got the Sith names here, might as well have the Code as well, though I did have to tweak it a _lot_ since the code itself is very sinister by design. If you liked it, great. If not, also great. It wasn't really my most dedicated work, this part :/ This was really more of an add-on than anything else.**


	17. Revenge of the Arcs Pt 3

**Chapter 16: "Revenge of the Arcs" Pt. 3**

**Wow, so many reviews and follows! Over a thousand for each, and I'm still going strong! And the favorites have reached almost a thousand too! Not too bad for a story with 16 (going on 17) chapters in my opinion. I'm also in 6 communities now!... don't know how that happened but still, that really brings me joy :) As for the views so far, let's see...Holy crap 0.o... Over 320,000 views! HAHAHA! This is awesome, WOO! Thank you guys, all this support really warms my heart! Now, onto the revieeeewwws!**

**Anagennisi: Thank you for the claim, hope that I can live up to your expectations as we move forwards in the future.**

**the Composcreator: It's actually a lighthearted one. It's also a future scenario, I believe that after this arc, ever****yone deserves a break of the killer Jaune of this future, and move on to where Jaune isn't a murderer. Hold on to your hats, because next time: he's gonna be a dad! And well, this was a future scenario, one where we get a HUGE exposition dump, but will probably be the last one for awhile. The other future ones will be more like snippets of the future, like "who will Jaune hook up with?" That sort of thing.**

**guillermocejas767: Already in the works, though Jaune is Captain Jack here. Your idea does make sense, I agree... But I really want Jaune to face the kraken!**

**Longfang dark: Not a problem. As for your suggestion, well I do like Sasori. He's actually one of the few characters I respected and liked from Shippuden. Never really cared for Persona growing up, unfortunately. Haven't played the game, nor have I looked at any of the playthroughs. I do agree that a modular weapon would fit Jaune better than a more complicated mechashift one. The 'classics' as it were. The two swords with reverse grip just reminds me of Ahsoka, and not in a positive light. Didn't like her in Clone Wars, and was barely tolerable for me in Rebels. I don't know about the different Faunus levels, I don't hate it I just don't know how to respond to it. As for the quotes, I do like some of them ('You want to kill me, fine take a number and wait your damn turn' was awesome). I hope that this was satisfactory, I didn't know what you meant by semi-individually so I just answered them all as best I could.**

**Marele Solomonar: Glad you liked it, and I can understand the sentiment. Trust me, I don't take it personally. As you can see, this is rather long. It's so that I can explain myself better, don't think of me as just harsh. To me, I think that with certain reaction fics, Harems are just more likely to happen. While not ALL of them are like that, they do make up a fair good portion. Which actually makes a lot of sense when you think about it; the multiverse is large, and at some point everyone will see at least _one_ version of Jaune that the other girls would like. And when they see possible futures with the guy like in my fic (along with another surprise that'll be readily apparent soon), they would just pursue him even more. A harem is simply a stacking of the deck, if you will. A more likely chance to get the future a particular group would collectively want (with a few changes so that they could avoid the stuff they didn't like). Is this really fair for Jaune? Not really no, but like a lot of people, I just want him to have a bit more happiness and love in his life. Also, regarding Jaune being OP, it's actually rather simple. Jaune is not a powerhouse in canon, by any means. He's also rather prideful while having little confidence in his abilities (not a great combination, especially for a teenager). He's an underdog basically, and while it is one of the key reasons why he's so well liked, it's also a _huge_ possible detriment for when he goes into these types of stories. I've only ever read one other fic that deals with this issue rather well:**** 'Viewing Jaune Arc: the Elemental Swordsman'. Here, Jaune is constantly seeing his other, more powerful self, in action while having the girls falling in love with him. However, _he _hasn't done _anything _to warrant this newfound affection, and is clearly upset about it because they aren't _his_ _own_ feats. It actually raises a great point that most other react fics just skim over completely: We as humans do not like being compared to others that are naturally better than us, let alone when that better person is basically just another you. With no special powers to call his own, Jaune was constantly surrounded by people who wished to express their 'love' for him, while at the same time doubted said love at points and thought that it would be better if he was replaced with his other. The story is rather good, and I highly recommend you read it. It's a harem one, but it's done in a way that's more believable in my opinion. Having his own power, even if it's in this story only, would make watching his other more powerful selves more bearable for him when he eventually arrives. And seeing possible futures of _himself_ instead of _just_ separate universes with their own _separate_ Jaune, it will give the girls more legitimacy in expressing their feelings for him. They aren't in love with more powerful versions of him, they are in love with the man he could potentially _grow up_ to be, which to me is much more impactful. Plus, like I've told others before, the only reason he is OP right now is simply because he died and came back to life. The power he unlocked, is one that will _only_ be able to manifest if he undergoes a similar experience, which will be difficult due to his friends wanting to keep him safe (and alive), and the villains will be at least hesitant to try (honestly, I think that Raven would be one of the only few who would give it a shot). Also, due to the fact that he is prophesized to destroy the gods, he'll _need_ to have a power that was not granted to humanity so that they won't know how to fight it (so Aura, Dust, and magic are off the table here), while also explaining how untrained Jaune is, how he never displayed this power before, and lastly make it sort of believable. Naruto? That requires _years_ of training which he obviously doesn't have. Dragon Ball? You wanna talk about him being too OP, not to mention that again it requires a lot of training. Fullmetal? Personal preference of not touching that but also because that's not powerful enough. Saitama? Same as DB. Bleach was really the _only_ option i could reasonably go with since Ichigo had god killing power (if Aizen had to _lower_ his power level in order for normal humans to even sense it (who died at the same time), then how powerful was Ichigo if even _Aizen_ couldn't sense it?), received _and_ lost that power in less than a year, and he had very little experience in training with it yet still managed to accomplish more in a few months than anyone else with centuries of practice. I had no choice but to have Jaune be Ichigo. As for the evil part, well that's actually up to the reader to decide. Was what the Arcs did morally right? No. Was it a _human _thing for them to do? Yes. Humanity as a whole are very irrational and violent creatures, prone to acts of destruction to the environment and to each other. The peace we are currently experiencing is the _longest_ peace our species has ever had, and still there are acts of brutality and death being committed. Not only that, but the Arcs are not just a clan, but a government as well, and _every_ government has done something horrendous in the past. You see, the Arcs (at least in this story) are old. _Much_ older than _any_ of the 4 Kingdoms. This means that in order for them to continue to prosper with the threat of the Grimm ever constant, they _had_ to structure themselves into a government of sorts so that they would be better organized (hence the need for things like a Council). And contingencies were needed since they would have been wary of Huntsmen and Kingdoms once they started popping up in the world (as any leader would do in a similar situation). Order 66 was one such contingency. It was not like in SW where it was a plan to rid the galaxy of good, this was a plan made by the Arcs centuries ago in order to outline how to deal with a possible legitimate threat to them. It was also only meant to deal with the Huntsmen while they were still low in numbers, not when they were the Kingdoms' main source of protection against the Grimm. In my story, the Huntsmen are much older than in canon, which actually really bugs me. How were Huntsmen able to create such an intricate training system meant to battle Grimm from scratch 80 years ago? That, to me, doesn't make much sense. They _had_ to have gotten specialized trainers from somewhere, and the Kingdoms mostly used rank and file soldiers, so how did the schools acquire these specialized warriors in the first place unless every soldier had similar training to Huntsmen (which sounds quite stupid as the Kingdoms no longer have standing armies apart from Atlas)? Not only that, but the infrastructure needed to make something like this would've needed decades alone to advocate (especially after a devastating world war, and plummeted populations due to Grimm incursions). Sorry, got side tracked, anyway, the Kingdoms still used armies during this time, and the Huntsmen here were more like elite shock troops; all this is something that the Arcs would've known and needed to plan for. In war, it's a sound military strategy to wipe out an enemy's elite soldiers early on. Does that make what the Arcs did justifiable? No. However, nations have _always_ made plans that would see the destruction of their allies should they ever turn against them. Look at War Plan Red for the US. It was made during a time when the US and UK were allies (1927), as a plan to win a hypothetical war against them. It even had Canada, our most closest and dearest ally, listed as the plan's _primary_ target for conquest and denying the UK a very valuable asset. History has proven that no government is without its skeletons, as such we can not view the Arcs as just a clan out for revenge, but what a government body would do in a similar situation. Preemptive strikes against a country's most lethal assets are a must in order to bring a swift and decisive victory in war; the concepts of good and evil, that's all irrelevant. In battle, you do what must be done in order to survive, the simple truth in all wars. That is why whether to label the Arcs as good or evil is up to the readers, war is almost never so morally black and white (unless you're the winners, but that's a different argument). I rather enjoy these types of reviews, let's the people critique a person's work but not being complete dicks while writing them :)**

**Guest: I've read your review, and yes I have watched WWE in the past. I'll think about it, no promises but these are some good ideas and make sense given the character's traits.**

**The Grim Blade: I'm actually glad you point this out. The Grimm would've _certainly_ made a huge comeback with all the negativity going around, but the armies that Jaune sent out never left their posts within the cities (plus, I never said that _all_ academies were lost, just the 4 major ones). They stayed, and are more than a match for the small time Grimm, while his Generals can handle pretty much anything those monsters could throw at them. A few Bala's here, a Cero there, and *Boom*, no more Grimm (they don't have a great defense except for their armor, which doesn't cover everything and can just be blown off with a simple Bala). That's not even taking into account the Menos Grande, who would be completely invisible to all but the more spiritually aware. Also, how would the grandparents be able to verify James' orders? FNKI is dead, with the leader _literally_ shouting that it was under James' and Ozpin's orders. Oz is in Menagerie, while James is at Atlas. No one besides the latter even knows what the order was (well, alive at least). There would be no way for them to verify what is true or not because 1. James never told his orders to anyone besides that one team, and 2. Why would they believe _anything_ either of those two would say anyway if they _were_ captured? Lastly, the Arcs don't have the power by themselves to take over the world. A few places sure (they _are_ the descendants to Salem and Ozma in this, and thus have the potential to do magic), but not the whole world...Maybe. They needed the clone army for that, an army that I've hinted they didn't know existed at all. What the Arcs _do_ have are agents close enough to many of the Headmasters that if they wanted to, they could kill off fairly easily. Does that mean they automatically rule the world? No. There would be mass riots going off everywhere. A vast army that appeared out of literally nowhere and decimated the 4 major academies just buys the Arcs time. If they use it wisely, then alright. If not, then there would be revolts. However, we also need to remember that Remnant isn't really all that populated to begin with. It's not Earth, the Humans and Faunus here have _very _few major cities outside the 4 capitals, thanks to the Grimm. Take over those cities, and you basically rule the entire planet anyway****. Argus is credited in RWBY as one of the _largest_ non-capital cities in _all_ of Remnant. Which to me, means that the population of Remnant is not all that large (have you seen a map of that city, it's tiny!). Sure, many people would be found in villages, towns, etc.; but with the Grimm still out there, they would be in a constant up-and-down flow in numbers, and they would conform to anything in exchange for protection now that many of the Huntsmen are dead and the rest are on the run. Hope that answers your questions :)**

**Devourer of fanfiction: Oh yeah, the Mandolorians are some of the most badass warriors in the galaxy! I also noticed when I was in the middle of typing the previous chapter that the parallels bet****ween the two were remarkably similar (what with the two coming from rich warrior pasts, and how deception turned them both against the ruling governments). So I thought "Why not go full boar?" and really cranked that part up to 11.**

**TheGreatSeeker: Thank you! You know, you're the first to actually comment on my prophecy. Glad to know that it wasn't a waste.**

**Colossus Bridger: He's with the villains. When I wrote 'villains', it was just implied that Joker was included. Sorry if I didn't give him screen time specifically, but I couldn't really think of a scene where he would react differently than the others (except for James' death, but I already have that in the works for when he has to leave).**

**duskrider: Glad you thought so, I had a tough time getting this together to make it more organic.**

**WearyCurmudgeon: First of all, I applaud you good sir/madam. You got much of my prophecy correct! I won't say which ones were right though ;) As for the corrections: once more I'm surprised that I got away with so few mistakes. I don't have someone to spellcheck for me, so when I go and review my work, it's actually rather difficult to spot certain grammatical errors like those :P Gotta be honest, completely forgot about old Voldy. The guy is turned to dust how many times and he still comes back for more. Hmm, now what you put down regarding Pyrrha, that actually raises a great point, one that I completely forgot about. The girl is from the same Kingdom as the leaders of Jaune's Clan, his grandparents. Oh well, can't change the past :( Although, I'm glad that you got how the people would naturally react to this. While Order 66 may have been a bit extreme, most people tend to forget that a government has contingencies for a lot of scenarios. EX. US's War Plan Red: The US planned on how to win a war against Britain, even had a few politicians actively wanting to implement it after WW1 despite being allies not too long ago. People in power have a duty to safeguard the people they represent, and a people who's been around for longer than the 4 Kingdoms themselves?... Yeah, contingencies are a must to survive. Thank you for understanding.**

**Dextix: Oh... I actually didn't know that. I just figured that with the first line of the code, that it pointed to a more evil alignment. My bad! :)**

**warrior of six blades****: I'm glad that you enjoyed it. I was really worried that you wouldn't the part with the letters, so I spent quite a bit of time making sure that it was as perfect as I could make it. Like all prophecies, people can misinterpret what is written. With the way I worded it, I made it so that either action is a possibility. As for the wife bit... Hehe, no spoilers ;)**

**Guest: I did _not_ know that. My friends and family always thought Vader alluded to Invader, like how Sidious was Insidious, Traya was Betrayal, and Tyranus was Tyranny. Just another Sith name that alluded to something more sinister in real life. With no one I knew correcting this meaning over the years, Invader was simply what his name meant to me growing up.**

**primus101: Thank you for the praise! I'm happy you managed to piece together part of the prophecy.**

**Oh man, these replies are starting to get rather wordy. Now without further ado, on with the show!**

**Disclaimer in the prologue.**

*Snort* Mercury starts to laugh, earning some ire from Saphron and her wife, though she too was a bit hesitant in trusting this so-called prophecy.

"You're kidding me right?" Mercury smirks at the woman, "There's no way that bullshit is real. Those four were probably high off their ass when telling their kids that." While not willing to agree with his rather crude remarks, many felt like this prophecy was a bit out there.

Saphron glared at him, ready to deliver swift justice on the man who is besmirching her family, and the honor of the Sacred Pillars.

Oma glared at the rude boy, almost tempted to tell Saphron to teach this _child_ a lesson.

Jack stepped in before anyone was killed or maimed, "Oh the prophecy's real alright."

Everyone looked at him like he grew a second head. "Are you serious?" Weiss asked with skepticism clear in her voice as she crossed her arms.

Jack nodded, "Oh yeah. The Sacred Pillars were blessed with exceptional Foresight when they, 'released their inner burdens'." He shrugged, briefly glancing to Salem's kids. "They had guided their offspring over the next few centuries; even teaching some later on, on how to join them. They gave their offspring the prophecy in the form of a tablet so that they would never forget its words."

Saphron meanwhile, smiled as she said "That's true. Even as my ancestors grew in number, the Sacred Pillars never abandoned us." She grinned as she started to tear up. "They have always guided our bloodline, giving us hints to better ourselves. Then one day, a stone slab with odd markings materialized inside of our first compound." She shook her head. "At first, my ancestors didn't know what they were looking at, the symbols were completely unknown to them. Then, as if a veil was lifted from them, they could suddenly read the inscriptions."

Jack nodded, agreeing with her story. "They did this in the hopes that their legacy would survive the coming darkness."

The audience looks at each other in worry. Ozpin asks Jack, "What darkness?" But Jack shakes his head as he refuses to tell them.

Everyone was blown away, and as the screen moved to show the next scene, many were contemplating what the Arc prophecy entailed. And a few people did _not_ like how it was worded.

**The screen opens up to a place that to most of the audience, could only be described as a barren wastland. With large rocky outcrops everywhere, and giant purple crystals sprouting out of the ground, lighting up the land in a soft purple glow. To the audience, it looked like several meteors had struck the area rather heavily. As the screen moves to a specific location, they could see that the sky was dark red, with the shattered moon giving some light, the whole land felt like a lost and dead field.**

**This Land of Darkness had something else, something that before was secret to only those who knew this land. Grimm. The heroes could see multiple Grimm walking the land, as well as pools of viscous, tar-like sludge where more of the unholy beasts were ****spawning in large numbers.**

The heroes took one look at this place, and realized that wherever this place was, it was the root source of all Grimm. Their nesting grounds.

The students were horrified, clinging to each other in support. The parents were holding their children as they whispered words of encouragement. The teachers felt sick just looking at this place. Ozpin felt a wave of memories coming back, seeing this place after so long.

Sienna shivered, while Ilia was hugging her Chibi-Blake who had popped up out of her box after the killings were over. The mini cat girl was shaking badly as she held onto her mistress in fear.

Gretchen was holding Hazel's arm as she shivered, with the man trying to calm her down.

Raven and Vernal looked on in shock, both holding onto Amber as she started to whimper a bit.

The villains were a bit mixed. Those who knew about the place didn't feel anything since this _was_ their home.

Those who didn't were horrified. Neo hugged her baby close as they both closed their eyes. Roman desperately wished to smoke so that he would calm down. Even the Joker gulped as he witnessed this carnival of horrors.

Emerald, while seeing this place already, also held onto her twins as they hugged her for protection.

The only ones that were actually ticked off were Salem and Cinder. The two didn't like how their lair was being shown, as well as the source of the Grimm. And as the view was zooming in on a dark castle, the feeling only grew.

**Evernight Castle, the seat of power for the Queen of the Grimm: Salem.**

**The scene switches over to a large conference room, a long table with a small holoprojector in the middle, and odd-looking chairs placed around the table. It is here where the key members of Salem's circle are arguing over what has been happening over the previous night.**

**"What has been happening?! What have our spies gathered?!" Cinder shouts as her faction stand behind her, wondering what the hell has been going on recently with this new potential enemy.**

**"We don't know, child!" Watts wasn't going to let this mere whelp order him around, and glared at her as he shouted back. All the while seething that their spies couldn't dig up anything regarding this new phenomenon.**

**Adam stewed in a corner behind Cinder, keeping his most loyal commanders in check while several White Fang grunts were trying hard not to kill the humans that surrounded them.**

Seeing Adam there had Sienna and Ilia gaping in shock. Not only that, but he had the nerve to allow members of the White Fang into that desolate wasteland. 'Is he in leagues with that woman?' The two thought as they glanced at Salem.

Blake was shivering, knowing the amount of loyal supporters her ex had, and was scared of Salem gaining those followers.

**Hazel sighed, crossing his arms as he looked behind him and seeing many of the Huntsmen that were loyal to Salem's cause here as he ordered.**

The heroes were shocked that so many Huntsmen were loyal to their enemy.

Cinder and Salem were getting even more pissed, seeing the their followers displayed so openly in front of their enemies. They knew that once this whole thing was over, they would soon be short of a few minions.

**Just then, the main doors opened and Salem entered the room.**

**Everyone stopped their arguing, and rose up to bow at the waist towards their leader. Their Queen calmly walked past her servants, and went to sit at the throne at the other side of the table.**

**Once she sat down, she motioned for her faction to do so as well. "Now that we are all here, could someone explain to me what has been happening in the Kingdoms recently?" While it sounded like a simple question, her narrowed eyes told them that it was an order.**

**Cinder first spoke. "Mistress," earning her attention, "while I do not know what has gone on in Vale after we had to flee from Beacon, what I can say is that an army of strange beings were marching towards the school from some sort of black portal."**

**Watts interrupted, "Yes, before Atlas had gone silent, there were reports of a black maw opening over the city." He glanced at Cinder, who was glaring at him for the interruption, before looking back. "It was also reported that General Ironwood had been shot down, shortly before the portal opened in fact. At the moment, I can only presume that he is dead." That brought a few murmurs from the soldiers behind them.**

Cinder did the same as her other, glaring at the mustached man.

The heroes though, flinched at the reminder of James' death.

**Salem hummed, then turned to hazel. "And what have you to report, Hazel?"**

**The man looked at her with crossed arms. "Well, there were reports that Leonardo was killed over the savanna surrounding Haven, along with another portal opening shortly thereafter." He stopped to sigh, "Based on the trend that has been going on, it would seem that the Headmasters, along with all the 4 major academies, have been attacked simultaneously."**

**Now everyone was looking at each other nervously. Salem though was intrigued, wondering how this mysterious army alluded her for so long. 'Why have you emerged now? What are your goals?'**

**Salem leans forward, "Have you contacted all of our spies Hazel?"**

**The man nods, "Yes, and I had ordered all Huntsmen loyal to you to arrive here as quickly as they could. I didn't want to risk their safety in case the leader of these new soldiers shifted their attention away from the schools and towards the other Huntsmen. The others are on standby and awaiting further orders." He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a scroll similar to the one Cinder lost. "I ordered them to lie low for the moment, and to report to me in case any new information comes up." He placed the scroll back. (1)**

The heroes looked at each other in fear, if the people gathered here were not everyone Salem had control over, how many more were out there? As they see the faces of so many Huntsmen, they all speculated who else was a spy for her.

**Salem nods, pleased with his forward thinking. "Excellent work." The man bows his head. "Now then-"**

**Just then a low beeping interrupted her, coming from the holoprojector.**

**Everyone looked confused by this. Tyrian says, "Allow me, my Goddess." Salem raises a hand, and the mad Faunus pressed a few buttons to accept the call.**

**As he finished, the projector came to life, and a hologram of Jacob Arc popped up.**

The heroes now paled, shaking as they see one of the Arc leaders there, most likely to swear their loyalty to her cause.

Salem and her faction were interested how this would play out, having reached the same conclusion as their enemies.

**Salem narrowed her eyes, not recognizing this disfigured old man hiding under a cloak. The grunts shift nervously, as several of her inner circle scowled at him.**

**"What is this? Who are you?" Salem demanded.**

**The old man smiles, "_Greetings, All-Mother_."**

**The woman raises an eyebrow, 'That's a new one.'**

**The man continues, "_My name is Sidious, Elder to the Arc Clan_." The soldiers recognized the name of the Clan, those from Atlas shivering at the name Arc, wondering how the man got ahold of Salem.**

**Salem rose a brow at her grunts' behavior, and made a mental note to have them explain themselves later. "Well then, Mr. Sidious," she smirked a bit at the ridiculous name, "how is it that you came about contacting me?" Her smirk vanished, "And what is it that you want?"**

**The man, smile still in place, said "_I simply wish to have a chat. As for how_..." The man holds up a scroll, "_One of my agents found this in the wreckage of Beacon_."**

**Many turned to a pale Cinder with piercing stares.**

Salem gave Cinder a disapproving look, making her blush as she refused to meet her gaze.

**The man coughed to get their attention once more. "_Now then, I'm sure that your own agents have notified you that the main Huntsmen Academies have all been attacked_." Seeing Salem's nod he continued, "_I'm also sure that you don't know the ones who unleashed this new army against them. Allow me to shed some light. That army, is ours_."**

**The Huntsmen who knew of the Arcs' reputation paled, a few began to even whimper in fear.**

Many of the audience nodded, feeling their reactions to this news were about right.

**Salem was now even more curious, "And why have you decided to betray the Huntsmen?"**

**At that, Sidious scowled, "_We were betrayed first, by Ozpin and his ilk_."**

**She narrowed her eyes at that name, while Hazel glared at the floor.**

Gretchen held her twin close, understanding that her brother was being emotionally used by that woman.

Meanwhile, many of the adults flinched at the declaration. Ozpin wondered if the truth would ever reach them, but felt that by now it was most likely too late.

**"I see..." Salem said, looking at the old man, wondering if the disfigurement was because of Ozpin as well. "However, that still leaves the question of what it is you wish to discuss with me."**

**The man's smile returns as he raised a hand towards her, "_I wished to offer terms for an alliance between us_."(2)**

**Many widened their eyes at this. The older Huntsmen and Faunus grinned though, feeling that with the might of the Arcs, they would not fail.**

The heroes felt fear gripping their hearts tight as they heard that.

Meanwhile, the villains were cheering at this victory.

Some, like Raven and Salem, felt that this course of action was inevitable.

**Salem watches Sidious closely, trying to see if this was in any way a trap. However, she was distracted by the Huntsmen and White Fang whispering to each other in excitement, as well as Watts grinning like had he just won the lottery. 'Curious.'**

**She raised her right hand, and everyone immediately silenced themselves. "Very well. Perhaps we should have a meeting face-to-face to address any terms you may have before you join?" She did this both as a way to see if this man was serious in his intentions, and if he agrees to make sure that if this Elder was a possible threat to eliminate him as quickly as possible.**

**'And it's not as if I am going to be in that meeting personally.' She also resolved to ask her soldiers just what the significance of this one clan was.**

The Grimm Queen nodded at her other's plan, while the more tactical heroes frowned in worry as they quickly figured out her plans.

**Sidious nodded, "_Very well, All-Mother. My fellow Elders know of your location thanks to the archives taken from Ozpin's computer_," Salem rose an eyebrow at that, "_and we have already dispatched someone to you to discuss our terms._"**

**He stops to raise both hands in a form of appeasement once whispers of suspicion were being brought up, "_Have no fear, the transport is only large enough for a single person, and as a sign of good faith, it isn't even armed. However_," he looks around to everyone else with a glare, "_He also happens to be my eldest grandson, and next in line in the Elder's Council_." He looks back to Salem, "_I would appreciate it if you give your word that Lord Vader is not to be harassed in any way while he is on route._"**

At the mention of his title, many felt remorse. 'He's being used as a bargaining chip, a sacrifice for if things go wrong.' The students didn't want their friend/crush to go anywhere near this place.

**The Grimm Queen frowned, but felt that a single person wouldn't be much of a threat. And with him arriving via ship, they would at least have more time to prepare for the rest of her minions to arrive. She weighed the pros and cons for several minutes, but in the end she nodded, "Very well. As a sign of good will between us, he will not be harmed."**

**Sidious smiles, bows his head to her, and the hologram disappears.**

The villains grinned, feeling their ultimate victory within reach.

Meanwhile, the heroes felt that they had failed to stop the coming darkness.

**The screen then switches over to shows a small transport hovering over to one of Vale's landing pads in order to land. Then it switches to a hallway where one of the many elevator doors open, and Anon steps out along with two brown robed figures with their hoods up. Although their features were obscured by the robes, the audience figured out that it was Winter and Ozpin.**

**One of the guards nervously heads over to them, "G-Greetings. May I see your clearance please?" He glances to a pair of the weird helmeted soldiers looking at one of the transports. (3)**

The heroes gulped, hoping that they would make it through security.

Meanwhile, Salem and Cinder were greatly amused that Ozpin had to disguise himself in order to sneak inside his own city.

**Anon nods and hands him a sheet of paper, "Certainly." He says with a disarming smile.**

**The guard looks over it, and sees that it's legit. He then hands it back to the Faunus, "Thank you, you may proceed. Have a nice day."**

**As they move on, Winter sighs in relief. "That was close. For a moment, I thought we would be caught." She looks at the weird soldiers in confusion.**

**Ozpin shakes his head, also noticing the new security. "This was merely the first step." He glances at his old friend, "Thank you again for the cloaks."**

**Anon grins, "No problem, I actually think it looks quite good on you."**

**No one noticed one of the new guards eyeing the group behind his helmet.**

**As they walk, they come across a fork. Anon ****heads to the left, to try to see what the news has to say about all this, while Ozpin and Winter head to the right towards Beacon.**

**Back to Evernight Castle, a small shuttle was seen approaching its airspace.**

The audience knew just who's ship that was, and many prayed that he would live through this.

**It didn't take too long for the ship to fly over the many pools of Grimm, heading towards the only landing platform which is attached to the castle and hovers over another large pool, where several bullheads and transports are parked. Seeing a spot to land closest to the door, the ship hovers over the spot and begins to land.**

**It takes a bit, but it eventually settles on the ground. The engines then turns off and the cockpit opens.**

**Jaune is then seen dropping from the cockpit with a grimace as he breathes heavily. 'Ugh, how I hate flying. Thank the Pillars that grandma gave me some medicine beforehand, and grandpa for the autopilot.'**

The villains were confused, not knowing about Jaune's little problem with flying on a ship.

The students smiled sadly, seeing that at least _somethings_ hadn't changed.

**After taking a few moments to catch his breath, he straightens his posture and puts on his hood. He then begins walking across the walkway, looking back at the amount of ships on the platform. He sighed at the sight, noticing that quite a few were fairly large.**

**As he heads towards the door, he hides his hands under his long sleeves as he places them together, giving him the appearance of a praying monk. Unbeknownst to the audience, in one of his hands, he's gripping a sort of small cube with a tiny antenna on top. As the doors open, and some White Fang grunts are seen standing at either end to greet him, he presses one of the buttons.**

The students gulp, feeling that this was it.

Sienna and Ilia glared at the White Fang members being there. 'We are meant to fight for equality, not make deals with the devil!' The two thought.

**The screen then switches over to a large room, with a few large screens displaying news agencies. Several Huntsmen and White Fang are working at the consoles nearby or standing guard by the doors. Salem and her inner circle are there, with Emerald and Mercury trying to make themselves useful. (4)**

The audience can see that some of the news agencies are depicting the ruined state of some of the schools, while others are showing the new soldiers battling large armies of Grimm with their lethal swordsmanship. Many of the soldiers are even seen shooting some weird red balls that when fired immediately disintegrated any Grimm it hit. (5)

The villains wanted those troops so badly, and were grinning at the thought that soon they will.

As for the heroes, while they were happy that the Grimm were being taken care of, they were also afraid of what else these soldiers were capable of.

**Just then, Jaune is seen walking slowly to the doorway of the room.**

**Salem was the first to greet her new guest, and possible pawn, with a disarming smile. "Welcome, _Lord Vader_. We have been expecting you."**

**Everyone in the room stops to look at him as he closes his eyes and breathes deeply. To the audience, it looked like he was regretting coming here. As he opens his eyes, all the exits start to close. Salem smiled triumphantly, knowing now just what made these Arcs so special, and was happy that she had such powerful warriors to call upon.**

**The screen moved to behind the young man, just as the main exit slowly slams shut in front behind him.**

Ozpin felt that with the doors shut, Jaune's fate was sealed.

His friends and students all felt the same, and lowered their heads briefly at the loss.

**The scene quickly shifts over to the smoldering shell of Beacon, a large trail of smoke filling the air with a black haze, and holes of various sizes pocketing the walls in several locations.**

The sight of the school looking so destroyed and abandoned made many who once/still called it home feel their hearts ache. Even the letters from warrior of six blades had only a limited effect on their recipients. Their home, where they had so many cherished memories, broken and turned to dust and mortar.

**A dozen of the new soldiers are standing guard at different locations near the entrance of the school, as they were ordered to by their Lord. Suddenly there was a flash of movement, and one of the soldiers had his neck snapped. Another flew back as he felt his hierro take a hit, and slammed into another soldier. As they fell to the ground, the others were already on the move.**

**Taking out their blades, they turned to see the two cloaked figures rapidly approaching them. "Huntsmen!" The one who was launched yelled as he stood back up and felt their energy spike.**

**One sprinted towards a group of three while the other went to the group of five.**

**As the former ran towards their now charging opponents, two blue glyphs sprung up, summoning a pair of Alpha Beowolves for assistance.**

**The first soldier paused in his charge, confused by the summoning. That was his first and last mistake in this fight as one of the beowolves jumped over the other two, and smashed into him. Before he could recover, the summon quickly bit down on his neck hard.**

**Now due to his lack of concentration, and the blow to the head from the fall causing his senses to go haywire, his Reiatsu couldn't protect him.**

**So when the summon bit down on his neck, the creature was expecting to have been halted by Aura. Instead, due to the power of the bite and lack of said Aura, it had taken a huge chunk out of his neck.**

At seeing the deaths of the first two soldiers, the students felt around for their own necks with a gulp. At the sight of that one man's ruined throat, Ruby and a few others threw up.

The little droid, having had nothing to do by this point, beeped excitedly at finally being able to work after being idle for so long.

**Winter, as her hood had fallen off and her identity revealed, didn't pause and flew towards another opponent with her sword in front of her. Her eyes on the trooper who destroyed the beowolf that killed the first soldier.**

**The man quickly turned and parried her blade to the side. He then went to thrust his own at her, but felt the resistance that all Huntsmen deployed. He scowled at the annoying barriers these humans had.**

**After disposing the other summon, his comrade buzzed behind her and prepared his own strike, only to have somthing impacting his chest, breaking his ribcage and sending him flying backwards.**

**Taking advantage of her opponent's surprise, she got out her small dagger and swiped it across his neck.**

**He ignored the swipe as it did nothing but create sparks. Instead, he kicked her away and turned around to see that Ozpin had already dispatched the others.**

**Just then, the other three buzzed into existance, already brandishing their weapons and prepared to kill the intruders.**

Despite the ease in which the previous group had fallen, the villains were impressed by their ability.

They, along with the adults, noticed that their Aura wasn't so effective against blunt trauma. They felt that this was a weakness against them, but also conceded that not many were proficient enough in hand-to-hand to be effective against them, and wondered if they _could_ be beaten. Clearly not by students, but perhaps full-fledged Huntsmen. (6)

**The scene then switches over to a large coliseum suspended off the ground over Vale. The audience immediately recognized it as Amity Colosseum. The view zooms to inside the coliseum, where many people were finding their seats. Reporters, simple spectators, Council members from other the Kingdoms; all who had come to see the tournament were here, wishing to know what had been going on recently.**

**Many were nervously looking at the weird soldiers standing guard near the exits and railings.**

**Just behind the red seats of the VIP's was Lisa Lavender. Looking around, she noticed that many of the people were significantly older. The youngest being in their mid-forties.**

Many were confused by the older members of the audience and wondered why this was.

**Before she could ponder a reason, the central platform of the arena suddenly lowered from its previous position, and the screens started powering up. Seeing this, everyone went silent as the reporters went live.**

**The platform soon rose back up. There, the people saw 10 more soldiers near its edges, along with two female teenagers standing at attention near the middle, apparently leading this new squad.**

**One had long, black hair done in two pigtails reaching down her back, a slender build, and pink eyes. Her uniform consists of a short frilly skirt, white half-sleeves worn from the elbows down to the wrists, thigh-length black-colored, white-outlined boots, and a weird-looking white-colored, black-outlined shirt that reveals a fair portion of her stomach as well as her chest. For accessories, she's wearing white bracelets on her arms.**

**The other had a more tomboyish look. She had short, slicked blonde hair with a slight fringe over her right eye, both of which were green. ****Her clothing is a white dress with short sleeves, which are slit and run slightly past her elbows, and an upturned collar. It's also unzipped at the front revealing her cleavage. Her dress also exposes her waist and part of her thighs on both sides of her body. A black sash is worn loosely around her hips. Lastly, she wears black tabi socks and low-heel sandals, and a white, segmented choker with a series of white bracelets on her arms. (7)**

**Standing in the middle, in front of some self-reliant cameras, were Jacob and Jeanne Arc, still in their hoods.**

The sight of these new faces had many of the heroes worried about their abilities.

'Considering that they are directly guarding his grandparents, Jaune must truly believe in their ability to keep them safe.' Ren thought. He, like many, was worried about them being so close to all those innocent people.

Many of the women with crushes were glaring at the new girls, wondering just _where_ Jaune keeps finding these hussies. Though they did see that the new additions weren't as 'gifted' as the previous two, so they calmed down a bit.

**The podium rises above the arena and the screens above opens up with the two, televising this to everyone in the Kingdoms.**

**Jacob was the first to step forward, and says, "Ladies, Gentlemen, Human and Faunus alike. I know that this has been a troubling time recently." He pauses to collect himself. "I know that many of you are afraid of what has been happening, of what it might mean for the future. My name is Jacob Arc, Councilman of the Kingdom of Mistral," he looks to the cameras, "and I am here to announce that we have all been betrayed by those we trusted with our safety."**

**After he said this, the people in the bleachers began murmuring to each other. Many of the audience went wide eyed at the name, quickly recognizing the name, and telling its significance to their friends and younger neighbors. As the people were going wild with inquires, Jeanne steps forwards to calm the people down.**

**The view then switches back to Ozpin and Winter walking past the many dead students and soldiers in one of Beacon's halls.**

While they were glad that the two survived their fight, the students were all horrified by the bodies. So many of their friends, gone. Many held each other as they couldn't look anymore, knowing that it was unlikely that any survived, including them.

The adults could only watch in sorrow, seeing the world's future protectors, mere teenagers, slaughtered like this.

The parents held their children tight as they tried to shield them from the heart wrenching image.

Glynda had a hand over her mouth as she silently cried. 'They were but children,' she thought. Looking at all the bodies of young boys and girls in sorrow, she cried softly. She believed that if she was there, she may have saved some of them.

The villains were basking in their enemies' misery, though Emerald also shielded her daughters' eyes.

**The two looked around in sorrow. They walked around, seeing that many were still in their sleeping clothes. Though they also saw that even as unprepared as they were, the students still managed to form a defense, taking down as many as they could before falling.**

**Ozpin couldn't believe it, "How could this have happened?" he whispered, seeing so many students, the ones he vowed to protect until they were ready to face the world, dead and gone.**

**Winter thought the same, seeing the dead all around and hoping that her sister made it out.**

**The view switches to the coliseum, where Anon had just arrived. He had spent much of his time asking around for information, and was told by many that he may find it in the Coliseum.**

**Going in, he saw that the announcement had already started, with the screens above just finished showing a recording of a team from Atlas barging into a hotel room.**

**Confused at this, he went to find an empty seat, and finding one next to Lisa.**

Mercury looked at Jack, "What was that?" pointing towards the screens.

Jack looked back and said, "Jacob and Jeanne were finishing presenting their evidence against James' actions, as well as some other pieces of information that is extremely against most of the other Headmasters."

"Like what?" Sienna asked, saddened at seeing so many innocent losses, especially the Faunus ones.

He held up his hand and counted up, "Recordings of Jaune being followed by FNKI in and around the hotel, reports of the crime scene as recorded by the police, eyewitness accounts of people near the scene, Cinder's scroll that has a direct line to Lionheart and other various Huntsmen that she really _shouldn't_ have," many of Salem's faction turned a stick eye towards a mildly sweating Cinder, "the assassination attempt by Atlas against two members of Mistral's leadership Council with hospital records and accounts to back it up," James and Winter went pale, knowing that the team didn't have a warrant for that arrest, "the reasons for coming to Vale in the first place, and some _very sensitive_ data taken from Leonardo and Ozma's computers." Ozpin and his faction paled, wondering just what it was the two showed to the public (8).

**Jacob finished his explanation to a stunned and horrified audience, "...but I am happy to announce that the Huntsmen Rebellion has been foiled."**

**Anon looked around, seeing many happily applaud at this. He felt sick, knowing that all this was a lie. He looked to Lisa, and recognizing her asked, "I'm a bit lost. What's going on Ms. Lavender?"**

**Lisa, looking as horrified as many in the bleachers, turned to him and said, "The Arcs have been elaborating on a plot by the Headmasters, to assassinate members of Mistral's Council, and..." she paused to take a deep shaky breath, "and the Huntsmen's betrayal of us all."**

The Huntsmen felt a pain in their chest, betray the people of Remnant? Never!

Many wondered how Jacob managed to convince these people of that, though a few felt that they may have a clue as to how.

**Anon looked shocked, shaking his head as he said "That can't be true!"**

**Lisa shook her head. "Jacob Arc has been presenting evidence all afternoon."**

**Anon recognized the name, and looked around again in slight panic, "But how? Why would the Huntsmen betray us?"**

**Lisa placed her hand on his shoulder, getting his attention. "Why else?" She scowled, turning back to the Arcs with a fire in her eyes. "For power."**

The heroes reeled back as if struck, seeing how so easily swayed the people were against their protectors.

Salem and Cinder silently clapped, seeing the brilliant stroke of the Arcs play out. 'And with their new armies at our command, nothing will stand in our way.'

**Jacob yelled at the top of his lungs, "The remaining Huntsmen will be hunted down and defeated!" He paused as the applause grew wild this time. In a softer voice, with regret filling his words, he says "Any who chooses to collaborate with these rouges will be punished to the fullest extent of the law."**

**Once more, the people applauded this.**

**(****Play "Anakin's Dark Deeds")**

**It switches over to Ozpin and Winter making their way through the school, hiding from any soldiers that may have remained as they moved to the communications tower.**

**As they entered one of the classrooms closest to the tower, they come across the bodies of some more students. Some very familiar students.**

Winter whimpered, desperately wishing that her eyes were deceiving her.

**There, lying scattered on the ground, was team RWBY, along with Professors Port and Oobleck.**

Tai and Summer cried as they held their daughters close, wishing that this nightmare would just end already.

Winter hugged her baby sister close as she couldn't contain her feelings anymore. 'Weiss, I'm so sorry. I wasn't there when you needed it most.' She started rocking back and forth with her sister as she watched the screen in despair.

Raven felt her heart ache at seeing her baby lying dead on the ground. She whispered, "No. Get up Yang, please get up." A single tear fell from her eye.

Blake looked horrified at seeing her team, her _family_, all dead. "No" she whimpered. NPR went and embraced her in a hug, wanting to show her that it would be alright, even though it wasn't.

Ozpin and Glynda cried as they saw their friends' dead bodies lying on the ground next to some of their students. 'No doubt trying to rescue at least a few of them from this slaughter.'

Qrow lowered his head, offering a prayer to his friends, before going to join in the family hug.

James bowed his head, feeling the weight of the world crushing down on him. 'This is the Arc's fault...' he shook his head and looked back to the screen, to the dead. 'But... It's also mine as well.'

Salem and Cinder grinned at seeing more of their enemies dead, the latter recording the reactions for later prosperity.

**Winter looked at the unmoving body of her dear Weiss. "Not even my sister and her team survived." She said with much pain in her tone.**

**She then fell to her knees, reaching out to gently stroke her sister's head, and noticing that her eyes were still open. With a quiet sob, she raised a shaking hand and gently closed her eyes for the last time. She then went to kiss her forehead, whispering "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you."**

**Struggling to get back up, she noticed that her sister's team was arrayed in a way that suggested that they fought as one. "At least, her team was with her at the end." She said, wiping her tears before getting up and moving the bodies so that the girls lying next to each other, their features peaceful now.**

Ruby sniffled, saying "Thank you, Weiss's sister." The other girls nodded, silently thanking her for what she did.

**Ozpin meanwhile did the same for his friends. 'I'm sorry my friends.' He looks to their faces, then to Winter who was silently praying. *Sigh* "Just one more mistake in a long line of mistakes." He whispers, thinking 'I'm sorry Kali, Ghira. I'm so, so sorry' with a heavy heart.**

**Just as the two were about to move on, he noticed something. Stepping closer to one of their weapons, he saw that they were partially melted. "They weren't killed by soldiers..." He says softly, earning Winter's and the audience's attention. "Winter, look here." He picks up the melted remains of Gambol Shroud, and hands it over to her. "Those soldiers, they hadn't wielded weapons capable of doing this."**

That news caused the heroes to think. He was right, the soldiers only used regular katanas in battle, and the techniques they used were more for explosions rather than cutting things.

When they thought back to who could have such a weapon, everyone paled. They knew of _one_ person, and that knowledge brought even more pain to them.

Cinder chuckled, "Hehehe, well, well. It would seem that Mr. Arc is just full of _delicious_ surprises." She grinned at the horrified heroes, "He not only killed his own team, he even killed his sister team as well." Many flinched, not wanting to believe what she was saying. But the proof was there, all the soldiers used regular blades, Jaune was the only one who used a different weapon. The more they descended into despair from these thoughts, the more she enjoyed watching this future.

**Winter looked to Ozpin, "...Who? Who could have done this?"**

The villains celebrated, almost _tasting_ their victory close at hand.

However, what came next brought a new wave of shock and fear throughout the audience.

**Jaune had moved quickly, newly ignited sword in hand, and instantly stabbed the closest person he could reach, that being Mercury, as the others panicked. The Huntsmen and White Fang by the exits and at the controls tried to ready their weapons, but by then it was already too late. The guards were being cut down in a flash as he fazed in and out of existence. One Huntress tried to aim her weapon at Jaune, only for him to faze out of her line of sight, and reappearing behind her. He didn't stop and moved forward, the woman's head suddenly sliding off her neck. The oldest of the Huntsmen and White Fang began banging on the doors to try to escape the Arc, Neo and Roman hiding under a table.**

**Jaune, stone-faced, moves through the room like a specter of death. Bodies were dropping everywhere he went. Screams by Watts were cut short as he died with a stab through the chest.**

**Jaune pulled the sword out of him, and moved on to slice Hazel in his stomach and cut off Tyrian's head, as some of the others ran into the conference room.**

**The screen moves back to the coliseum.**

"B-But! We were supposed to be allies!" Cinder shouts as she shivers a bit in fear, watching as Jaune slew so many of her comrades without mercy or hesitation.

Salem was wide-eyed, seeing this with a horrified expression. 'What is happening?!' Her plans were falling apart in front of her! She holds her daughters close as she tries to shield their eyes, much to their slight annoyance.

The villains were shivering in fear, the ones who saw their others die each flinched as though they were the ones killed.

The mothers of Jaune's children held their babies close so to shield them from watching their mommies potentially die in front of them.

Eve looked on in rage, believing that the boy had betrayed them. Meanwhile, Sienna and Ilia were gulping in fear, seeing one person slaughtering so many professional warriors with his blade.

The heroes, though happy that Jaune wasn't joining Salem's side like they thought/dreaded, still felt terrified seeing him mow down so many experienced an dangerous fighters in such a short period of time.

**Jacob removed his hood, showing his slightly disfigured face to a saddened and horrified people of Remnant. "The attempt on my life has left me scarred, and deformed. But I assure you, my resolve, has never been stronger!"**

**The people applauded, seeing his strength shine through despite his injuries.**

**Back in Evernight, at the landing platforms, the audience could see that many of the survivors were trying to escape. The oldest of the surviving Huntsmen and White Fang knew about the deadly reputation of the Arcs, and so chose to flee from this one's wrath. Just as the two closest to the main doors were ready for liftoff, Jaune's ship suddenly exploded, destroying the transports, and killing many within the blast radius. This had the added effect of also destroying the only support columns that allowed the platform to safely suspend above the Grimm pool. The shattering of this support caused the platform to violently split apart from the rest of the castle, killing more people from the ensuing shrapnel, and the whole thing soon fell into the pool below, killing what was left and ensuring that there would be no escape.**

Salem glared at the cowards that chose to flee instead of fighting this threat to them, and nodded when they all died from the explosion or from falling into the Grimm pool.

The others felt despair at seeing their only means of escape sinking into the deadly sludge.

**Inside, Roman held a hand out to Jaune as he looks at him. "Stop, please no!" But it was no use, the boy quickly fazed in front of him and sliced his chest open with his blade before moving on to kill a shaking Neo.**

The two held each other in fear while also trying to calm down Lucy. The other daughters shivered at seeing their auntie Neo die like that.

**Jaune walked to the entrance of the main conference room, before stopping. Adam had gotten behind him and was poised to cut his head off. In response, Jaune turned off Seele Schneider and rearranged it. As he got close enough, Jaune reignited the blade, landing a direct hit at his heart.**

Those who knew Adam were stunned. To see the powerful warrior dispatched so quickly was a shock to them.

Eve held a hand to her own chest as she jaw dropped. 'Impossible! How could I have lost to a human so quickly?!'

Blake was shivering. She knew how dangerous Adam was in combat, and would never want to face him one-on-one. 'But if he was struck down so easily, how strong is Jaune?'

**Not looking back, Jaune removed the blade and continued on, to everyone he looked unstoppable. Inside the conference room, the audience could see a heavily injured Salem and Cinder waiting for him at the other end. Jaune stops by the entrance and turns his head to survey the observation room to make sure no more 'surprises' would come. The screen gets a closeup of his facial features. His face in a dark glare, his eyes a bright yellow in pools of black.**

Seeing Salem and Cinder as injured as they were, the two were shivering more. The others who knew of their power and danger felt a deep primal fear building up. No one really knew how his eyes changed like that, but they would all agree, they would haunt their nightmares.

**Going back to the coliseum, Jacob continues with his speech. "In order to ensure that our security and stability continues in these dark times. The Four Kingdoms, in acceptance with the Councils' wishes, will be reorganized into the First Arcadian Empire (9), for a safe and secure society!" He raised his hand up towards the people to illustrate how he's asking them to join him in this new government.**

**There is a loud, sustained cheer from the people, several shouting "Long live the Empire!" Even Lisa shouted this out. Meanwhile, Anon just sat there, dumbfounded.**

**Jacob continued, "An empire that will continue to be ruled by the Councils as the main Judicial branch, with a sovereign ruler chosen for life; by my honor as an Arc, I promise you, that we will make it through this betrayal!"**

**The people cheers again, hearing his promise made them go wild.**

The adults were horrified. In one stroke, Jacob had basically dismantled the Four Kingdoms while placing the Arcs on top.

**Anon are devastated. Though Lisa began to cry in joy as she stood up in applause.**

**Jacob finished his speech, "An empire ruled _by_ the people, for the _betterment_ of the people!"**

**The crowd goes wild, many standing up to chant "All hail the Emperor!"**

**Anon looks around, seeing the people giving the Arcs a standing ovation. He whispers to himself "So, this is how the Kingdoms die," he sees the adoring fans with sadness, "with thunderous applause." (10)**

The audience were now seeing the true plan of the Arcs. The destruction of the Academies, the damning of all Huntsmen, the slaughter of Salem's forces. It was all so that this Arcadian Empire would rise.

Salem and Cinder, though still feeling fear, couldn't help but appreciate the Arcs' planning. Salem herself felt great pride inside.

**Back to Evernight's observation room, only Emerald visibly remained as the sole survivor. Jaune then fazed in front of the terrified young woman, crossing his arms as his back was to the screen, thus only showing the girl's fearful expression. The audience could tell that based on his stance, his weapon wasn't on at the moment. That didn't stop the fear in Emerald. As he makes a move to her, she quickly backs up until she hits one of the tables behind her.**

**With tears falling from her eyes, she shouts, "This shadow war is over! Please, Salem promised us peace... we only meant to-"**

**Emerald was cut off midsentence when Jaune ignited his blade again and swiped at the air next to him. At first, the audience thought that he was either doing this to shut her up, or that he may spare her. A shimmering in the air, followed by a gasp, and it was proven that none of those were correct. Emerald in an attempt to trick Jaune, tried using her semblance on him to attack from the side. But it didn't work, his sensing abilities weren't fooled by her tricks. Her illusion fell, the fake Emerald faded out as the real one dropped to her knees with a hand grabbing her sliced neck. She then fell to the ground. All was now silent as Jaune moved on once more.**

Hearing no more shouts or screams had made many of the villains terrified.

**Winter stood in a large computer area as Ozpin looks on, in the hatchway to the main control center of the CCT.**

**After imputing a few codes, she closed the monitor, her job complete. She then turned to Ozpin with a tired expression. "I've finished recalibrated the code, warning all surviving Huntsmen to stay away from the Academies."**

The heroes all sighed in relief, at least happy that any survivors wouldn't fall into this trap.

**Oz nodded, leaning on his cane as he said "Good. For anyone to discover the code's recalibration, it'll take a long time for them to notice. Even longer to change it back."**

The students felt that at least they had some good news.

**As they turned to leave the school, Winter spots something. The security room.**

**She calls out to Oz, "Wait, Headmaster. There is something that I _must_ know..." She then enters the room.**

**As Oz follow her, he says "The security recordings?" He hummed, "That would certainly help solve this mystery."**

**Winter moves to a panel and flips a few switches. The monitor lights up, showing images of the students walking, laughing, alive. She switches over to the classroom that her sister's body is. Seeing that it was the right camera, but the wrong time, she sped up the footage, until she got to the right time.**

**'There', she narrows her eyes at seeing Jaune Arc attacking team RWBY, Port and Oobleck already dead by their feet.**

Seeing tangible proof of the cause of their deaths made the ache in their chests worse.

**Ozpin was stunned, seeing one of his favorite students attacking his friends. As Weiss used her semblance to speed herself up, he noticed that he blocked and/or parried all of them. Then, when Blake moved to attack, he swung a sword with a blade of light, cutting through her weapon like a hot knife through butter. As she paused in disbelief, he took the opportunity to stab her in the chest.**

Blake flinched at seeing herself get killed.

**As Weiss screamed out her friend's name, he to the surprise of Oz and horror of Winter, fazed out of existence in a similar move to that of the soldiers. He then quickly reappeared behind her, stabbing her in the stomach.**

**"It can't be..." Oz whispers, not noticing Winter glaring at Jaune with hatred in her eyes.**

**Jaune then fought the remaining members of the team with a speed outmatching Ruby and with more strength than Yang. Soon, Ruby fell with a slice to her chest, and Yang with a stab through her sternum. Winter flips a switch, showing Jaune kneels before a clocked figure.**

**The two then hears Jaune say "_The traitors have been taken care of, Elder Sidious_."**

**Sidious nods, "_Good, good. You have done well, my grandson_."**

**Oz felt like he was punched in the gut. 'That's Jacob?! Why is he here?!'**

**The man then gestured Jaune to stand up, "_Now, rise Lord Vader. I have a new mission for you. Go to Salem's lair. Go, and bring peace to Remnant_."**

**Ozpin looked horrified by his friend mentioning her name. 'Is he a spy for her?' He felt dread creeping up. 'This must've her plan all along.'**

**Winter ignored the name, instead just looking at the two.**

**She shakes her head and turns off the monitor, "I can't watch any more."**

**The two stand in silence for a few moments.**

**Oz finally turns to Winter, "Now we know who is responsible for this."**

**She looks back, wiping away any stray tears. "Send me to kill the boy." She looks to Oz with a burning rage. "Let me avenge my sister."**

**However, she was disappointed and frustrated when Ozpin shook his head. "I'm sorry, but you are simply not strong enough to fight him." Before she could yell at him, and thus possibly compromise their position, he said "If you'd payed more attention to his fight with team RWBY, you'd see that he is far faster and stronger than yourself." He walks back and forth as he lectures her. "Mr. Arc from what was seen in the footage has similar abilities to the soldiers we faced, and thus is far more unpredictable when going at high speeds." He looks at her with a small glare, "You had much difficulty in facing those men with _me_ by your side, how do you think you'll fair against someone like that _alone_?"**

**Winter wanted to protest, she truly did, but she knew that he was right. The boy was indeed faster than her when she wasn't using her semblance. And even with it, she would be far more predictable in her movements and positioning thanks to her glyphs. She wouldn't stand a chance.**

As much as she felt that she should face him, Winter did have to agree. He was simply too powerful and unpredictable for her to face him in open battle.

**Winter lowered her gaze in despair, "How did it come to this?"**

**Oz shakes his head, and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "There is no time to answer that." He sighed, "I will go face Mr. Arc."**

**She looked back up and raised an incredulous eyebrow, "We do not know where this person has sent him. You don't know where to look."**

**But Oz shook his head with another sigh, "Unfortunately, I believe I do." He looks to Winter, "I will face him, meanwhile you confront Jacob. You should be more than a match for him."**

**She nods, the two splitting up and heading towards their destinies.**

"So, it's come down to this." Salem says, earning the audience's attention. "The final battle to decide whether the Arcs succeed, or fail."

**The screen goes back to Evernight, the audience seeing the landing platform completely submerged beneath the Grimm pool. The view zooms in until the scene switches over to a robed figure standing on the main balcony.**

**The view holds here for a few seconds, before the scene switches to the observation room. There, everyone was dead. Hazel, Tyrian, Watts, Mercury, Adam, Emerald, and many more were all scattered on the floors or tables.**

The people mentioned were shaking in terror.

**The scene switches to inside the conference room, where to the shock and further horrors of many people, Salem and Cinder were laying on the ground. Both dead, with a few small fires dotting the ground around them.**

The two were horrified that they died too. Salem was even more so. 'Impossible! I'm immortal, so I cannot die!' She looked at her dead body, and felt terror gripping tight.

Ozpin and Raven were absolutely terrified. Salem was supposed to be unstoppable, yet this one man managed to slay not only all of her main fighter, but the Queen herself... They felt their bodies feel a bit cold at this.

**The view changes once more to the lone figure, this time behind him, before showing his front. The face of Jaune Arc looking down at the desolate land before him. As he sweeps his eyes across the landscape, and glares into the horizon, the audience can see a single tear fall.**

**(Stop "Anakin's Dark Deeds")**

**END**

**Oh man, finally! That took fucking forever to post! I'm sorry for the long wait, I was really stuck with how to present Jacob's evidence, and I'm not that great a public speaker so writing a speech from scratch isn't really my strong suit. Now I know that many of you were hoping for the final battle, but as you can see, this is kind of a long enough chapter. If I added that in, then I wouldn't have updated for who knows how long. Hope you all enjoyed, and I'll see you guys later, peace!**

**1\. Well, why _wouldn't_ Hazel have all their spies on speed dial? It's not like an enemy of theirs could just waltz right in and steal it: they'd have to go through legions of Grimm (both old and new due to the pools there), Salem's faction, then Salem herself. Under normal circumstances, it would be a pretty smart move on his part. He _is_ one of the more powerful and competent of Salem's faction, and it's not like he'd take that specific scroll with him if he leaves. He also isn't arrogant/condescending like Watts, dismissive as Cinder, nor crazy like Tyrian. To me, he would be the best choice for coordinating all the spies. Having the scroll with _his_ hands, in the _one_ place that none of their enemies could normally reach, would be the perfect strategy.**

**2\. What better way to have Salem lower her guard, than to say that her ex had betrayed an entire clan? She'd be more than happy to have more servants to her cause that were betrayed, just like with Hazel.**

**3\. While the clones didn't do anything harmful to the workers, or anyone really, the people are still afraid of them. They did just wipe out an entire academy full of students from the four Kingdoms, and the scary looking helmets aren't exactly helping to lower their fear.**

**4\. Well what else could that room have been? The Separatists had a control room, monitoring the galaxy's battles. With only one world, and no droid army, Salem had to use _something_ to check up on what's going on with the planet. A room that monitors the news networks would've been really useful for that purpose, made even easier since almost all communications are thru the CCT network.**

**5\. Yes, those are Balas. Now while I _could've_ shown them firing Ceros instead, they would've caused a _lot_ of damage, destroying the local environment and severely harming any innocents in the vicinity. With the media covering all this, that is a problem the Arcs don't want. Balas are also quicker to fire in rapid succession, while Ceros take valuable time to build up the necessary power.**

**6\. Against very experienced Huntsmen, these guys would be fairly easy to beat, at least in low numbers. T****heir hierro is a good substitute for Aura (which the audience still doesn't know that they don't have), but the clones aren't that strong, so it isn't as powerful as the higher tiered Arrancar. However, since many Huntsmen (at least from what I've seen so far) rely mostly on bladed weapons and bullets rather than blunted ones and hand-to-hand combat, that's not too much of an issue. They're ****also at their most dangerous in large numbers, which is not good when you specialize in the latter two. But then again, they didn't use their more powerful attacks like the Bala or Cero, so it's all irrelevant. It also makes sense since they are supposed to be stealthy. They don't want to alert anyone that something was wrong, so they were ordered to not use their Balas or Ceros in order to give the impression that the school wasn't still a battlefield.**

**7\. Loly Aivirrne, the 33rd Arrancar; and Menoly Mallia, the 34th Arrancar respectively. Both are still reported as alive, plus I ran out of Arrancar to use. Since they are Arrancar with Resurrección, they would still be powerful enough to protect them.**

**8\. Recordings from the hotel: well, how would FNKI have taken those out? They just got their orders, and they didn't know where Jaune would go. Taking out surveillance cameras isn't easy, it would've taken a good amount of effort and time. In _every_ movie I've seen, the hackers would always have to lock onto the security systems physically either by being in the room, or through some wiring in the building; and then spend several minutes either causing the whole thing to crash, or make a prerecording of the area and switch the feeds so as to fool the guards. Both of which FNKI _couldn't_ have done. They just didn't have the time. As for an EMP, that would've fucked up their own tracking along with everything else, so that's a no-go. The police: well, they were already swamped with the White Fang burglaries and Torchwick's escape. A big delay in response is unavoidable, it's just unfortunate that they came _after_ Order 66 was sent out. The damages: remember, Flynt did most of that, _and_ has a weapon with its capabilities well documented, so the police would credit it as the most likely suspect. Jaune's destroyed armor was also taken as evidence since only a member of FNKI had a weapon matching the damage it was dealt, leading more credence of an assassination. That's why he's not shown wearing it. I never said that he put it back on, and with it as damaged as it was I felt there was no reason to even try. Eyewitness accounts: the team wasn't exactly being subtle. Why would they? All they needed to do was keep out of _Jaune's_ line-of-sight, not anyone else's. Another reason for not seeing the point in messing with the surveillance cameras. Plus, Flynt's weapon isn't really quiet while in use, so people would've definitely reported the loud sounds the weapon made. Cinder's scroll: I do believe that she would have a direct line to Lionheart and other Huntsmen because she would've needed to have help in advancing her schemes (like the credentials from Haven). By this point, Salem would've seen Cinder as smart enough to _not_ lose it. The assassination attempt: his grandparents _are_ members of Mistral's Council, and a team from Atlas _had_ threatened them with an arrest without a warrant (the police had checked to make sure), and the damages done could be seen as an assassination attempt since most of the damage was FNKI's doing with little resistance from the old couple. Those two are old, and Jeanne was incapacitated early on (Flynt's weapon could easily point to that due to her heightened senses), and Jacob as a master politician used that. Hospital records: the two were very hurt after the battle, and would've no doubt had to go to the hospital for injuries, so records would've been made, exposing just how they were injured in the first place. Reasons for visiting Vale: remember, they only came to Vale to honor a dead boy's last will and testament, something that they would've needed to prove to their fellow Councilmembers beforehand in order to have them approve any sort of leave of absence. This is also proof since they had no ulterior motives, only going to Vale to honor that wish. The older audience would understand the Arcs' honor system, and the media would just eat that little story up. The data taken: it's the location of Salem's base, the nesting grounds of _all_ Grimm. Can you imagine how shocked and betrayed everyone would feel, if they suddenly knew that two of their trusted Headmasters had known of the homes of their greatest enemy, and didn't do everything in their power to destroy it? Yes, the people wouldn't know about Salem and the danger she represents, but _that's_ not being told to the public. The population at large don't know that there's someone leading the Grimm, mostly believing that they're nothing more than mindless beasts without a leader as Pyrrha said in the last chapter. This news would spark outrage from the public towards Ozpin and Lionheart hiding this very important truth from the world (and probably James too since he was very close to the two, and speculations may happen). The public would begin to think that their reasons for doing this were so they could hold onto their prestige and importance, the Grimm after all is the _only_ reason these Academies existed to begin with. No Grimm, no Huntsmen. James' many seats of power wouldn't exactly help stem this line of thinking. With the Huntsmen being as powerful and dangerous as they are, and their students being used as assassins by the leaders against innocent people, something would need to be done regarding the whole order in their eyes. Not all Huntsmen follow the Headmasters, true, but they are supposed to be completely separate from the government as well in order to prevent them from being used as hired muscle (so who is really in charge of them?), however Atlas disregarded that by merging the military and Huntsmen together. A violation to the treaties they signed after the Great War, and you can make sure that Jacob is going to use that as an example. History is also _full_ of organizations and orders that were attacked due to rumors and fearmongering. Ex: The Knights Templar (they were deemed heretical because a French King wanted to get their famous wealth and made a deal with the Pope, _not_ because they were actually worshiping the Dark Arts), the Jews during the Black Death (many believed that they were the cause of it despite having no evidence whatsoever to prove it, only that they bathed regularly), and so on. People when brought together tend to have a pack mentality, especially when presented with 'evidence' that is very solid in their eyes, and would then follow the ones with the loudest voice.**

**9\. It was either that, or the 'United/Unified Empire'. Don't take this name _too_ seriously people, if you have a better name option, just replace it with yours. Also, for the Councils agreeing, that's actually rather simple. Mistral: the leaders of this new empire are from there, so they would agree since they would get the most influence from this merging. Vale: the Arcs, half of Mistral's Council, were almost killed there, and they _did_ allow James practically free reign in their Kingdom's capital (Ozpin is also seen as one of the people who 'ordered' the attack), so to avoid any backlash, they were forced into agreeing. Atlas: same as Vale, but more severe. Their most influential leader had clearly overstepped his boundaries, they agreed just so that they would not be painted as conspirators, as well as avoid paying any reparations that they _would_ likely pay for otherwise. And Vacuo: well they really did nothing wrong here. They didn't conspire against the Arcs. It's more that the Council there knew not agreeing would cause more harm than good. The Kingdom's surrounded by deserts, and with the others merging they felt that the necessary trade for their survival would be soon cut off. Plus, with a vast army inside their literal doorstep, they couldn't say no because they didn't want their people in any potential danger (not that they were in any, but they don't know that).**

**10\. For those who say that these people wouldn't be so quick to praise him, well let's look at history again. It is _filled_ with speeches that were _designed_ to have the most impact dealt to the most people that would respond to it positively. There's a reason why the audience were all older than normal. They would've known (or heard) about the reputation and honor system of the Arcs, how an Arc would _never_ go back on their word. If Jacob promises that he would keep the people safe, they would _know_ that he would do whatever it took to keep it. And with the reporters all telling of how trustworthy the Arcs are, the people watching this across the world would be more willing to give this a shot. Also, with the audience applauding him (including the Council members in attendance), shouting praises to him, it would show the people of Remnant that he has support, even if it really isn't; a small but loud audience is just as impactful as a large one, and Amity Coliseum is by no means small. Lastly, even though he's calling it an Empire, it's really not all that different from the Kingdoms. Why call it a Kingdom if there's no King? With the Councils still having some measure of power, it would give the people a sense of empowerment and loyalty since their votes still impacts who is in charge of the government. It would also have the affect of still having a sense of normalcy. The people are used to a Council of officials for decades, and to suddenly change that to a government ruled by a single person would cause a lot of strife, no matter how much the majority supports it.**


	18. Revenge of the Arcs Pt 4

**Chapter 17: "Revenge of the Arcs" Pt. 4**

**Woo! I'm back baby! Again, sorry for the delay. The speech really made me updating difficult. Now onto the reviews!**

**UnlawfulGentleman: Thank you for the kind words, glad you're enjoying this so far. I didn't think I was doing the prequels as much credit as I thought, but I'm you think I did a good job :)**

**Hotshot6: I haven't actually. So I watched some of the fights you suggested, and while I think they look cool, I don't think I can do it. Not because I don't want to exactly, it's just that I'm seeing if I can do a Kung Fu Hustle reaction later on. From what I've seen of the fights in the game, they look sort of similar to what the movie has already. If you like martial arts battles, mystical fighting moves, badass bad guys, while also wanting to have a laugh at the expense of the protagonist (weird circumstances resulting in physical pain), then may I suggest you watch it. It's pretty cool, and _very_ funny.**

**Argus456: Yeah, the planet's big. But as you said, they can travel anywhere through portals, and can sense the energy of any Huntsmen nearby. They're like the perfect bloodhounds, when they get your scent: they're on your ass for a _long_ time, good luck trying to get away. James is coming along, baby steps. Sure he still blames Jaune and the rest of the Arcs, but he does have a point. It sort of is. The fact that he's also acknowledging his own faults shows a good amount of self growth.**

**Nightflash478: I was requested by someone to have them watch the battle of Black Gate (along with the speech), but I suppose I showing the backstory as well couldn't hurt.**

**thegermankaiserreich: … Are you reading my thoughts?! I was thinking of making a reaction about that movie one day. Still haven't decided if I wanna do the whole thing though. Jaune's obviously Willy Wonka, and Ruby is most certainly Charlie. Weiss is Veruca (sort of in-line with her attitude in the beginning of Vol. 1), Yang is Violet (competitive nature), Nora is Augustus (her large appetite for pancakes, can't think of anyone else who has a bigger one), and Pyrrha as Mike (too funny not to have Pyrrha constantly apologizing for her bratty self). Maria or Ozpin takes the role of Grandpa Joe (haven't decided yet), and Hazel is Slugworth (keeping the name for a bit until his true name is shown at the end, plus I want to make him a good guy). Some of the other characters are slow-going, but that's because I haven't given them much thought :P I'm also using some of the aesthetics of the remake. Sure, the new version was... let's call it weird, but I have to give it to them for some of their designs. The chocolate meadow, and river, were certainly a lot better than in the original version. I'm keeping the original songs though, and the Oompa-Loompas.**

**warrior of six blades: Yeah, hard to keep them in high spirits when you see so many depressing things, one after the other. Still though, glad you enjoyed the Karma Slap I gave to Salem's group. They were definitely enjoying the suffering of the heroes a bit too much, so knocking them a peg or three was very satisfying to write.**

**Arsao Tome: Oh yeah, best of the prequel trilogy in my opinion! :)**

**shinigamisama455: No you're right. The Huntsmen's assumption is in fact incorrect. It's just that with all the events that's been going on: Order 66 - new armies - deaths of many Huntsmen - the Kingdoms basically disbanded - their good name ruined - the deaths of Salem and her faction - and finally the rise of the Empire; to them, it's all too convenient. They're simply thinking too deeply into these events. Like a line of dominos falling in the exact order in which the end result is the Arcs in power. All of that was just a side effect as you said.**

**Guest: I never played the game, so I don't know. I can't really give my opinion one way or the other for fnaf's characters, sorry. And the waiting time really depends, sometimes it could be a week, or it could be a few days. It all depends on a few factors: how long the chapter is going to be, how much time I need to research the material, and _most_ _importantly_ how much effort I need to create the story (like for a movie, a transcript helps shorten the time _considerably_).**

**Now that that's out of the way, onto the show!**

**Disclaimer in the prologue.**

**The screen switches over to the Coliseum several hours later, the sun setting over the horizon and the people had since left for home. The scene then switches to a large office, which many of the older audience recognized as the main office room below the Coliseum. Here, Jacob and Jeanne are sitting behind a large ornate desk.**

**They had switched to their regular clothes, Jacob's wounds long since healed thanks to one of their granddaughter's abilities. 'Who knew she could heal me up so quickly, I wonder if she has the same power as Jaune?' (1)**

**Standing guard near the entrance are two soldiers, and directly behind the old couple are Loly and Menoly.**

**Suddenly, a monitor rose up from the other side of the table, and an image of Jaune appears.**

**Jaune, still in his dark robes, says in a grave tone "_The All-Mother has been taken care of, Elders_."**

Ozpin and the others who knew of her 'condition' were astonished. They didn't think that someone, let alone a mere teenager, could have killed the single greatest threat to Remnant!

The villains were shocked and horrified. Sure, they all saw her 'die', but they didn't think that she was 'dead'.

"How?" Salem asked, hugging her daughters close, in dread. She had spent centuries dreaming of this moment, to be free of this curse. But now that she finally had it, she felt empty. There was no one to care for her, love her. She was basically alone, even more so now that almost all of her minions were eradicated. She looks to Jack for an explanation.

Jack sighed, "Everyone, you may want to pay attention." He waited until everyone looked to him. "Salem is dead." A few let out sighs of relief, while others (read: Tyrian) shouted in disbeief. "Yep, she's gone. Now as to 'how', well... That would be his weapon, Seele Schneider."

Everyone looked at each other in confusion. Raven asked "What's so special about the sword?" She wanted to know whether she should steal it or not. 'After all, a weapon that could kill Salem would no doubt keep the tribe safe.'

Many had similar thoughts, wanting to know if they should do the same. Either to use it to kill the Queen, or to destroy it and keep her alive. (2)

Jack was quick to answer, "Well, that sword's blade is made out of an energy called Reiatsu."

Yang rose an eyebrow and said, "And what's Rei-whatever?"

Jack rubbed his forehead in annoyance, "_Reiatsu_. It's an energy source different yet similar to Aura and 'another' energy source." Many blinked in shock that this energy was different from Aura, though they wondered what that other source was. (3) They also wondered how Jaune managed to get it, and if they could use it.

Before anyone could ask, he just sighed and said, "Look, can we just watch this future? I promise I'll explain it in more detail once we're done as this topic is rather complicated."

No one liked his dodging of the question, but they nodded and turned back to the screen.

**Jacob nods, and with regret says, "It is finished, then."**

**Jeanne continued, "You have restored peace, and justice, to Remnant. You have done well, Jaune."**

**The boy smiled a bit hollowy, "_Thank you, grandma_."**

That smile had many of the heroes flinch.

Saphron sighed sadly, she didn't like seeing her brother this way. 'It was for the good of the Clan.' She thinks as she wipes a few tears from her eyes. 'Forgive us All-Mother, Sacred Pillars.'

**In Evernight, Jaune was talking to the couple in the observation room, using one of the large screens to communicate. Bodies still strewn around. He narrowed his eyes a bit, "I have also sent an order to Harribel." The couple raised an eyebrow. "I told her to have Apacci, Mila Rose, and Sung-Sun await my signal for the next stage." (4)**

**He looks behind the two to Loly and Menoly. "I also need you two as well. No offense meant to you, you have served me diligently by protecting my family for the short amount of time that you have. I just have a new, and _very_ _important_, assignment for you."**

**The two nodded and bowed in consent. "_As you command, My Lord_."  
**

**Meanwhile, Jacob and Jeanne lightly smiled in pride at seeing their grandson taking charge.**

"Wait, who are those three?" Wiess asked in slight jealousy, thinking that they sounded a bit like female names.

Jack paused the view in order to show a photo of the three new ladies, and the results were predictable.

Hazel, Mercury, Roman, and Ilia were slightly drooling at the dark-skinned amazon, appreciating her exotic figure. Ren, James, and Watts blushed as they looked at the one who had her mouth daintily covered by her sleeve, comparing her to a princess or priestess with her long black hair and kind demeaner completing the look. Tyrian and Qrow liked the more wild look the third girl had, her tomboyish looks and her smirk had them whistle lightly.

Summer and Frigga noticed the slightly glazed looks of their husbands, and promptly smacked the back of their heads, glaring at them as their idiots apologized profusely.

Nora also saw the way Ren reacted, and huffed as she glared at the new girl. 'Great, _another_ hussy taking my Renny's attention.'

The ones with crushes on the boy looked like they were trying to burn a hole in the screen with the power of their minds with how strongly they were glaring at the images. 'WHY?! WHERE DOES HE KEEP FINDING THESE SLUTS?!'

**Jacob though was a bit confused, "_And why do you feel the need to send these two away from protecting us so soon?_" He wanted to know what his grandson was thinking as this wasn't part of the original plan.**

**Jaune turned back to his grandparents, "I wouldn't worry, I already sent for their replacements. I also found something while I was here." He holds up a scroll, the same one that used to belong to Hazel.**

**"_Another black scroll_?" Jeanne asks, looking at it with curiosity and some dread.**

**Jaune nods, "Yes, and inside are over a hundred numbers and profiles. Most likely from any spies and traitors that didn't come to the All-Mother's call." He puts the scroll inside a socket, and pressed a few buttons.**

Salem widened her eyes, knowing that the last of her minions were about to be dealt with as swiftly as they were.

The others realized this as well, and were either happy that the last of Salem's powerbase would soon be gone, or angry for the exact same reason.

**"I'm sending the information in the scroll to you," he looks to Loly and Menoly, "I want you two to take as many soldiers from the second wave as you feel necessary to hunt these fugitives down."**

**Loly grinned at the chance of destroying her master's enemies, "_We will not fail you_." Melony nodded, "_Indeed, these scum will not survive for long, you have our word_."**

Seeing these people acting so loyal to Jaune still felt weird to those who knew of the guy.

**Jaune nods with another small smile, happy to see their enthusiasm. "I know you won't fail," his expression turning a bit playful, "_General_ Loly, _General_ Menoly."**

**Back to the office, the two looked shocked by their new promotions, but that quickly turned to giddiness. They straighten their posture and bowed once more in gratitude.**

**Jacob nodded, with Jeanne using a nearby console to receive the information and give it to the two. "Very well, when the information is done loading here, we'll send them on their way." He looks to Jaune with a look of concern, seeing his tired expression. "You have done much to safeguard the peace, rest. Take as much time as you need, the next stage will not go anywhere."**

The heroes felt that with those two gone, and if their replacements didn't arrive soon, then Winter would have a much easier time in fighting Jacob. Though with Jeanne there would still make it a difficult one.

Many were also curious about this next stage they were alluding to.

**Back in the observation room Jaune nodded, seeing the concerned looks his family and new Generals gave him. "Ok grandpa." He smiled, and this time it didn't seem so hollow. Everyone gave him a smile of reassurance, and the feed went dead.**

The looks from those two hussies made many clench their fists in jealous anger.

**Jaune sighs, taking off his hood. After fighting for so long, he felt like he needed a break. 'Thank the Pillars that I can't sense anyone left alive. I really need a rest.'**

**He yawned and started walking to a nearby chair, collapsing on it as soon as he got close enough. Wrapping his cloak around him like a makeshift blanket, he immediately zoned off.**

**A few hours later, he was woken up when a beeping sound from one of the consoles started ringing.**

**Stretching his arms from the small nap, feeling refreshed, he went to the monitor. There, he saw a lone transport onscreen heading straight towards the castle. (5)**

Everyone instantly recognized the vessel as Anon's. That meant that Ozpin finally arrived.

**Jaune cracked his neck, fazing out to 'greet' his new guest.**

**Outside, the ship hovers over one of the wider towers. There, the landing ramp opens and Ozpin, still in his cloak, jumps out. He used his cane for extra balance when he landed near the edge of the rather spacious balcony, and looks back up to see the ship turn around and leave.**

**Inside the tower, he hears the wind shift inside. A few seconds later, footsteps could be heard coming closer. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he turns to face whatever Salem had to greet him head on. He was therefore surprised to see Jaune exiting the building and stopping a few meters away.**

**Seeing Ozpin there, Jaune gave a weary sigh and starts to walk to the right. The older man doing the same, the two slowly circling each other like predators.**

The students gulped, knowing that whatever happens next, one of them will most likely die.

**Jaune sighs again as he throws off his cloak. "You shouldn't have come here, Headmaster."**

**Ozpin does the same, gazing at Jaune with a determined, if saddened, expression. "And you shouldn't have allied yourself with Salem."**

**The boy simply raises an eyebrow at that.**

Nora shook her head, "But he didn't. He never joined her."

Ren turns to his partner and shakes his head. "He doesn't know that though." Nora turned to him as he continued. "Ozpin doesn't know that Jaune never allied himself with her, nor that he killed them all."

Pyrrha nods in agreement, "But I bet he'll know soon enough."

**Ozpin continues with his speech, shaking his head slightly in disappointment. "Betraying your friends, the world... You have allowed Salem to twist your mind until now...until now you have allied with the very creatures you _swore_ to destroy."**

**They continue to circle each other until they stop opposite from where they originally stood, with Jaune now near the edge.**

**Jaune shakes his head at the man's words. "Don't lecture me, Ozpin. I see through the lies of the Huntsmen. I do not fear the All-Mother as you do." He turned around to gaze at the barren fields below. "I have brought _peace_, _freedom_, _justice_, and _security_ to my new Empire!"**

**Ignoring the title Jaune used, Oz looks incredulously at him, "Your new _Empire_?"**

**Jaune closes his eyes, and in a soft voice says, "Don't make me kill you." 'Please, don't make me do this.'**

Jaune's words and thoughts had many believe that he could turn away from the path he was on. They held hope.

**Oz shakes his head with a glare, "Jaune, my allegiance is to the Four Kingdoms, to democracy!"**

**Jaune opens his eyes and turns his head slightly to glare at him. "If you're not _with_ me," he turns back to face the land again, "then you're my _enemy_."**

With that declaration, their hope died.

**Oz looks to his ex-student with regret, and readies his cane in a swordsman's stance, saying "Then I will do what I _must_."**

**With his back to him, Jaune snorts. "You will _try_."**

**(Play "****Anakin vs Obi-wan and Yoda VS Sidious" [that's the name used in YouTube])**

**Jaune then takes out his blade and ignites it, before backflipping and lands facing his opponent.**

**He immediately lashes out at Ozpin, who managed to cover his cane in Aura and blocked. With his initial momentum, Jaune manages to push Oz back several feet as they slash, parry, and retaliate. The audience could barely keep up with the movements as Oz used his Semblance to attack, leaving afterimages in his wake, while Jaune used his Reiatsu to augment his speed and easily kept up. (6)**

Seeing Jaune keep up with _Ozpin_ of all people so easily shocked many of his friends. Same for the professors, but that was also mixed with a deep sense of fear as they watched Oz get pushed back and being matched by the boy's power and speed.

Many of the villains were eating popcorn. Sure, many of then were upset (read: pissed) that they died from his betrayal, but watching the powerful Headmaster of Beacon getting pushed back almost effortlessly by one of his students, they felt they could ignore it.

Raven and Vernal were surprised by the boy's skills to keep up with him.

'How powerful is he?' Even though she saw a recording of Yang getting killed by him, Raven couldn't help but blush at the power he's displaying. 'Yang clearly should've run as soon as her little friends distracted him.' It was clear to her that he was too powerful to take on, seeing how he quickly dispatched two members of the staff beforehand, so she believed that if her daughter fled while the others fought him, then she would still be alive.

Vernal was just cheering her man on, with Amber cheering for her daddy. Hey, he didn't kill her, so she didn't think of any reason why she shouldn't.

The other children were also getting into the fight, cheering their dad to beat the mean _old_ Huntsman.

**But soon, Oz found his footing and twirled, redirecting the blade and went to smash his cane to his chest.**

**Jaune was quick to see this and spun his blade behind himself to parry the attack, moving around to strike from the side but Oz simply blocked. Eyeing each other as their weapons clashed between them.**

**As he scowled at Ozpin's surprised face, Jaune quickly pushed him back to brake the stalemate, stepped back and kicked Oz in the chest hard.**

The force of the kick made many wince.

**As he was struck, Oz flipped backwards to help cancel out the force instead of taking it full on, and landed on his feet inside the tower.**

**Jaune released a breath, before moving to engage him once more.**

**Back inside the Coliseum, Jacob was working on some paperwork with Jeanne standing over him to place another stack down. He sighed as he saw the new paperwork, hearing his beloved wife giggling at his misery. The audience could see that Loly and Menoly were nowhere in sight, suggesting that they already received their list and went to complete their orders. But the guards remained by their post.**

**Soon, Winter calmly enters the room. Summoning some glyphs underneath the guards, she throws them against the wall, knocking them unconscious before they could understand what the hell just happened.**

**Jacob turns his chair toward Winter, slowly standing up and earning her undivided attention as Jeanne glared at her while slowly moving towards the console next to her.**

**Winter stands tall, her cloak falling to her feet, "I suppose congratulations are in order for your new promotion, _Emperor_." She glared hatefully at the old man.**

**Jacob raised an eyebrow, "Winter Schnee, you survived."**

**Winter scoffed, "Surprised?"**

**The old man sighed, "Atlassians." He mutters as he shakes his head a bit before saying, "Your arrogance blinds you, Miss Schnee." He scowls at her as he slowly raises his hands, "Now you will experience the _full power_ of the Arc Clan."**

**After he says that, lightning bolts shoot out of his hands, quickly moving towards Winter before she could defend herself. Striking her in the chest, Winter is picked up and thrown across the room, hitting the wall and sliding down in a crumpled heap, knocking her out.**

"Winter!" Weiss shouts, fearful of seeing her older sister die too. The other students winced and gasped at the loud impact.

Winter and James were shocked at seeing her other get taken down so quickly.

**Back in the castle Jaune and Ozpin are continuing their duel, moving through one on the main hallways. Ozpin was still being pushed back, much to his friends' worry.**

**Oz tries and succeeds in disengaging the younger man and heads inside a large room, but his reprieve was cut short when Jaune ran after him and gave a heavy slash, followed by the boy spinning around while twirling his blade in a circle behind him with his right hand to parry his attempt to strike him in the back.**

**Jaune follows it up with another slash, but Ozpin ducks and grabs his left arm. Using this to his advantage, Oz spins them around until he has Jaune trapped in a hold. As he brings down his cane for an overhead strike, he was stopped when Jaune brought up his sword to block.**

**Seeing his attack fail, he lets go and moves towards another, more narrow, hallway with Jaune immediately following him.**

**As they attack, they began to move at high speeds again to hopefully end this quickly. As they move along the cramped hallway, Jaune's blade constantly slices through its walls, leaving ugly red lines in their wake as the blade melts through the material.**

Salem grumbles at seeing her nice clean walls getting damaged. 'Seriously, do they not know how difficult it is to keep the place spotless?'

**As they move their fight past the hallway, they walk inside the observation center.**

**Thinking of a possible way to catch him off balance, Jaune parries Ozpin's strike and kicks him away.**

**Stumbling back and trying to get a second breath, Oz glances around his new environment. He widens his eyes at all the bodies, seeing some White Fang, Hazel, and Tyrian all laid dead on the ground. 'What happened here? Did Mr. Arc do this?'**

**That lapse in concentration nearly killed him as Jaune, seeing his plan work, moved to swing at his midsection. Oz saw the blade moving out the corner of his eye, and barely managed to block the blade.**

**As they had another standoff, they moved their weapons side-to-side to gain some leverage, only managing to accidentally move them towards one of the display screens and destroy the console underneath.**

Salem sighed at the destroyed machinery while Watts loudly complained about how difficult it would be to replace that.

**Back to the office, having turned on the cameras, Jeanne went to get security while cursing herself for not having her weapon with her. 'Just hang in there my love.'**

**As she left, Jacob approaches a now conscious Winter.**

**"You know," Jacob started, "I didn't want to do this." He glared a bit. "All I ever wanted to do was fulfill my promise, a promise to a young boy taken before his time!" Winter glared as she slowly got back up, not caring for his words. He noticed this and shook his head in remorse. "Now look at you. The Huntsmen are no more."**

**Winter glared as she prepared her counterattack, "Not if I have anything to say about it!"**

**She then thrusts her right hand forward, summoning another glyph underneath him to launch the old man backwards, knocking him clear over his desk and onto the floor in a heap.**

**She points to him as she continues her speech. "Your rule is at an end, _your highness_." As the Elder visibly struggles to get back up, she says "And in my opinion, it wasn't short enough."**

**The old man wipes his mouth of some blood and jumps with the use of the wind, flying through the air and landing in front of the exit to escape. At the last second, Winter jumps and lands directly in front of him, stopping him in his tracks.**

**Winter smirked, "If you are so powerful, why leave?" She takes out her sword and twirls it around as she drops into a combat stance****.**

Winter thought that he was quick to leave, a little _too_ quick. Her eyes narrowed, wondering what his game was.

**Jacob shook his head, "I don't wish to fight another youngster, you wouldn't win." He frowned at her. "And if by some miracle you do, Lord Vader will become more powerful than _either_ of us."**

**He then takes out his second saber, 'I really do need to replace the other one.'**

Her eye twitched at his words, aggravated that she was being underestimated in her chances of winning. 'Although, his second remark does have _some_ weight.'

**She narrows her eyes, "Your faith in your grandson is misplaced, Emperor. As is your faith in your chances of leaving here alive."**

**Jacob takes his stance, ready for the fight to come.**

**Winter was the first to move, jumping overhead, and swinging her blade as she descends. But Jacob was quick to block the strike, watching her as she landed on the desk. She jumped again and landed to his right, thrusting her sword and cursing as he parried and sidestepping his retaliatory jab. As they dueled, the two moved away from the exit.**

Winter watched with satisfaction as Jacob was pushed back. Same with Weiss, however James and Ozpin still felt that something was amiss.

**Their swords clashed, their owners determined to win.**

**Back to the castle, Jaune and Oz had moved their fight to the conference room. Kicking Oz in the chest, Jaune watched as his next plan play out.**

**Taking the bait, Oz backflips again to mitigate the force of his blow and lands on top of the table. Taking the time to get some air back in his lungs from the kick, he sees Salem, sprawled on the ground and not moving.**

**He stops to stare at his ex's corpse in shock, just as Jaune planned.**

**Jaune then fazed in front of him and stuck his cane, which dropped to the table as his grip was slack at that moment. Turning back to the fight, and mentally berating himself for getting distracted _again_, he barely managed to grab Jaune's wrist with his right hand before he could slice off his head, but then grasped the other with his left as his neck was grabbed.**

The heroes gasped at Ozpin being chocked out by Jaune while a few villains and the children cheered.

**Oz could only gasp and wheeze as Jaune squeezed his neck harder, forcing him closer to the table while slowly pressing his blade closer to his head. Cutting to his face for a bit, the audience could see Jaune glaring at him as he exerts more pressure. Then to Ozpin, they could see his face slowly turning blue from the lack of air.**

Many of the students bit down on their fingernails as they see the Headmaster losing consciousness, and thus the strength to keep Jaune's sword from killing him.

The teachers were also worried, they couldn't believe how the young man gained such strength in such a short amount of time. To them, it seemed impossible.

**As his back hits the table, in a moment of desperation he kicked Jaune in the ass using his Aura to help give him the extra push.**

**The boy yelped as he flew over him, letting go of his neck as he fell to the other side of the table. Coughing and gasping for breath, Oz slowly stood up as Jaune did the same.**

Jaune's children couldn't help but giggle a bit as they watched their daddy fly away from a kick to the ass.

**With the sword still in hand, he ran towards the gasping man, only for him to backflip as Oz jumped and kicked him in the head, causing him to land on his back. The impact, along with the landing, caused him to let go of the sword.**

Ozpin's friends gave a sigh of relief. While they felt remorse over what he must do, they knew that Jaune had to be stopped.

**As Oz walks to Jaune's prone form, he sees his cane lying nearby. Kicking one end up, he quickly grabbed the handle and prepared to finish this.**

The students turned away, not wishing to see another death of a friend.

**But it wasn't to be. Glaring at the man, Jaune flicked his left wrist, summoning a second hilt. Igniting it, he quickly moved the blade in front of him to block the overhead strike.**

Hearing the impact, the students looked back at the screen in shock. Same with many of the others, though the shock turned into embarrassment when Jack said "You guys do realize that he has _five_ of those things right?"

**Going back to the office, Jacob jumped on top of his nice desk, Winter doing the same. As they continued their duel, one of them accidentally steps on a button. This in turn caused the roof to retract and the whole room to rise up. The two of them not caring in the least as they continue.**

**The view switches to the arena as the floor configures itself into an antigravity biome (7). Just as it finishes the biome, the office rises up into the Arena.**

**Once the floor stops, Winter takes a giant leap onto one of the floating blocks nearby, Jacob doing the same. The fight is intense, even in the new environment.**

**Zooming closer, Jacob is seen glaring at a slightly snarling Winter. As they lock blades, she growls a bit as she loses some of her composure, so close to one of the people who ordered her sister's death.**

Weiss gulps as she sees the terrifying image of her angry sister, while James shakes his head at her expression. 'She's slipping, if she doesn't reign in her temper it's only a matter time before she makes a mistake.' He thinks as they watch the battle continue.

**Stepping back a bit, they circle each other and taking a few prods at the other's defense, before they move back to fight in earnest once more.**

**Back to the castle, the battle moves once more into the observation room.**

**Ozpin and Jaune each tried to use their speed to swipe at their opponents in order to get a hit, eventually twirling their weapons around each other with a single hand to act as shields against any further strikes. Seele Schneider's blade and Ozpin's emerald Aura-coated cane dazzling the audience with their beautiful yet deadly colors as they blur around each other. After a few seconds of this, they lock weapons once more with both hands, before Ozpin lets go and puts out his right hand underneath the lock to use his Aura as a shockwave to blast Jaune away. Jaune, seeing this, does the same with his left but using Reiatsu to attack Oz. Both hands inch closer as the blue of Jaune's and the green of Ozpin's try to overpower the other before they both become unstable, and the two ****are blasted back onto opposite ends of the room, roughly landing on some control panels.**

Seeing the power of the two displayed awed the students. Now they _really_ wanted to know just how Jaune obtained this 'Reiatsu'.

Raven and Cinder wanted to know as well, thinking that it could prove useful in addition to their Maiden powers. 'I wonder how powerful our children would be with my powers and this 'Reiatsu' mixing together.' The thought of blue-eyed dark-haired children running around with Godlike levels of power had them shivering in need.

**They easily regained their footing, with Jaune jumping on top of a table and leaped to where Oz was with an overhead swing. Oz blocked and managed to redirect the attack to the console he previously landed on, destroying the machinery and causing the screen to fizzle out.**

**Outside, sirens could be heard as a thin tower that looked eerily similar to a CCT, only with various large antennae and dish towers on the far end, protruding off the side of the building lost power from its antigravity Dust Generators. The sudden creaks and groans coming from the metal showing just how important that console really was.**

Salem's eye twitched, remembering just how _long_ it took to install that thing. '_Why_ did I ever agree to have the tower placed on its side rather than on the roof?'

Watts was screaming obscurities at all the damages done to his precious work, demanding compensation from the two and ranting on how he spent so long installing all of that _expensive_ equipment by hand.

The young mothers were glaring at the man, covering their babies' innocent ears.

Cinder just snickered at his actions.

**Back inside, Jaune kicks Ozpin away again, only this one felt more like a love tap compared to his previous kicks. They battle around the room, with Oz deflecting a jab to one of the control panels for the door behind him, causing Watts to scream more, and the door to open. They continue on, fighting out onto the balcony. The same balcony that Jaune used to look out onto the landscape.**

**They lock weapons again, and Jaune pushes them out of the way and kicks him in the jaw.**

**As he stumbled back with a grunt of pain, the audience saw a tooth flying out of Ozpin's mouth.**

Ozpin winced while holding his jaw, "I'm starting to get real tired of Mr. Arc always kicking me."

**Back to the arena, Winter was unleashing a ferocious assault on Jacob on top of the platform, forcing him to go near the edge. A small twirl and Jacob was forced to drop his saber, but recovers with a wind blast from his hands pushing her back.**

**As she recovered her footing, no one noticed a small camera following the fight.**

**Winter glared at him, "I will destroy you, Emperor, so just give up and die already. And don't think that your _precious_ grandson will avenge you, Ozpin already went to destroy him." Clearly her anger was overcoming her logic.**

**Jacob's eyes widen, before narrowing into a glare. "You would murder me and my grandson? While all we've ever tried to do is save our world?"**

**Winter snarled, "You aren't this world's savior, that sacred duty belongs to us _Huntsmen_."**

**The old man, disgusted by this woman's arrogance, unleashes a fire ball from his hands, forcing her to ****jump to a lower platform.**

Some of the students felt a bit uncomfortable. While they felt that Winter was correct, the way she said it made them sound arrogant, and a bit possessive of their status.

The adults felt the same, wondering if the rest of the world felt this way.

**Jacob reaches out with one hand, and a platform comes to him with some careful directions from the winds. With the use of his Semblance, he hurls the platform at Winter, who ducks and jumps to another as the object smashes into her platform and destroys both of them.**

**Not deterred by his miss, Jacob continues to lob more platforms at her. Growing frustrated with each miss as she jumps from one platform to another.**

Weiss was worried for her sister. One wrong step and she could get squashed.

**Winter continues to leap away from the projectiles, until eventually what Weiss feared happened. At the last jump, she landed wrong and fell face-first onto another platform.**

Weiss hugged her sister close, afraid that she will die here. Winter hugs her back in an effort to reassure them both.

Eve, Ilia, and Sienna meanwhile giggled at the faceplant.

**She rubs her face as she gets up, before looking back to the man, and sees Jacob preparing to lob another stand at her. Quickly, she summons a large glyph, barely managing to stop the pod in the air much to the sisters' relief. She then moved her right arm in a clockwork motion, the object starting to spin, before she thrusts her arms forward with a shout of defiance as the thing flew right back at him.**

**Seeing the platform coming back at him, he leaps away at the last moment and lands on another floating stand beneath him. He quickly looks around to see where that youngster was hiding.**

**Winter leaps after him, landing on the opposite end of his platform and preparing her blade as she runs towards him, but Jacob quickly turns and raises his hands to unleash the full force of his Semblance's lightning at her, catching her by surprise and throwing her back again. The force of the impact causes Winter to drop her saber.**

"Sister!" Weiss shouts as she sees her sister thrown back and her sword tumbling to the ground below.

**Getting her footing back, she quickly summons another glyph to block another lightning blast. As the two Semblances battle for supremacy, Jacob slowly starts to walk to her as Winter begins to falter, their Auras getting to critically low levels.**

**"It's over Schnee!" Jacob yells over his lightning. "Surrender, and you will be spared!"**

**Gathering the last of her strength, she glares at him and purposely destabilizes her glyph, and throwing the two backwards from the backlash.**

**The shockwave threw Jacob back to the edge of the platform, and barely held onto the edge with his right hand as he slid away. Winter meanwhile, was completely knocked off the platform, and falls several dozen feet to a platform on her back. The force causes the audience to wince as her Aura shatters, and she bounces off over the edge, but reaching to it she barely managed to grip the very tips tightly with her left hand. Looking down, she sees that there was a few dozen feet between her and the ground.**

Seeing her holding on had many of the heroes gasp in worry.

**However, the impact had caused some of the structure to crack. Including the part that she was grabbing onto. The extra weight had that section to break off, and with a yell of fear, she fell the rest of the way down.**

"NO!" Weiss and James yelled, hoping that she wouldn't die here.

**Knowing that a fall from this height would no doubt kill her without her Aura to protect her, she quickly spun around in an effort to get the falling debris to act as a sponge for the impact. This surprising worked.**

**At least partially. Her fall was cushioned, however her right shoulder was dislocated and her left leg was broken.**

While she winced at getting so injured, Winter was happy to have survived that fall. Her little sister hugged her tightly as she snuggled close.

**Biting the inside of her cheek to prevent any screams from leaving her mouth, she looks up to see that Jacob had gotten back up, and was now trying to look for her.**

**Knowing that she failed in her mission, she desperately began to crawl away from the battle.**

Seeing the Schnee woman crawl away like a wounded animal had Eve smile sadistically. 'I'm still pissed that I died, but seeing this makes it worth it.' She took a picture of this moment for memories.

**Back to the castle, Jaune forces Ozpin down a narrow pipe outside the balcony they were just at. T****he pipe barely had enough room for him to walk in tightrope steps. Oz looks down and sees that the pipe is hovering over a flowing river of Grimm substance.**

**Jaune quickly follows him, jumping onto the pipe. The vibrations made balancing extra difficult.**

Seeing the river, Ozpin shivered in disgust.

When Jaune jumped after him, many gulped a bit. They didn't know what would happen if one of them fell into the gunk like material, but they had a feeling that it wasn't good.

**Seeing no choice, Oz began to tightrope-walk backwards across the river while fending off Jaune's attacks.**

"Gotta give him this, kid's damn persistent." Qrow commented, earning many nods from the boy's friends and family.

**Oz and Jaune slowly make their way across the pipe, cautiously fighting at first, but as they center their balance, the more ferocious they went.**

**Ozpin suddenly slips. Thinking quickly he throws his cane up in the air as he fall. He then grabs onto the pipe on the way down, and swinging around, he grabs his cane as he lands back on the pipe just in time to block an overhead chop.**

The students had stars in their eyes seeing his daring action.

Glynda wasn't as amazed. Using her crop, she smacked the back of her friend's head so hard his spectacles flew off. She then said, "Are you _trying_ to give us all a heart attack with your reckless behavior?"

His children giggled as he went to grab his glasses off the floor, grumbling that he didn't do anything.

Salem felt a bit of fear as she saw him slip, and relief when he moved to get back up. 'Reminds me of Ozma's more reckless moves.' She wanted to smack him upside the head as well, but was disappointed (and a bit jealous) when that other blond woman did it.

**They continue to fight across the pipe for a bit before Ozpin saw a walkway below them. Parrying Jaune's slash, he drops down with the boy following soon after. The two land and he blocks another strike. As he tried to overpower Jaune, he was unprepared for the right hook.**

"Hey, at least it wasn't a kick this time." Tai said, much to Oz's annoyance.

**Oz stumbles a few steps back before he regains his footing. Looking back, he sees Jaune about to slash downwards with his right hand. Thinking quickly, he swings his cane with one hand to the boy's left while raising his free one to grab onto Jaune's wrist.**

**Unfortunately, Jaune saw the move and grabbed Oz's wrist with his free hand. The two now trying to overpower the other, bending a bit at the waist to gain more leverage.**

**Back to the arena, Winter was seen crawling her way through a mass of wires in a small chute after relocating her shoulder.**

Seeing a human, a Schnee at that, crawling like a rat made Eve a _very_ happy woman, and to a smaller extent Sienna and Ilia. Blake also felt a bit content, but immediately felt guilty afterwards.

Weiss and Winter meanwhile shivered at all the dust and dirt smearing her once pristine uniform.

**Taking out a commlink, she says "Hurry. You'll need careful timing if you are to arrive safely."**

**Anon, piloting a bullhead he 'borrowed' after lending his ship to his old friend, took out his own commlink and replied "There aren't many patrols on western side. Perhaps they are looking for you closer to the arena. Activate your homing beacon when you're ready."**

**In the arena, Arthur Arc along with a squad of Atlas soldiers loyal to the Clan were reporting to Jeanne, who had just dismissed a floating surveillance camera, and Jacob, who was being looked at by a soldier with pale skin and shoulder length blond hair wearing a customized uniform with puffy shoulders.**

**Surrounding the bleachers, a battalion of clones were in search for Winter's body. (8)**

Seeing the soldiers buzzing around the coliseum in search of her, many were scared that she wouldn't escape.

Winter and Weiss felt a pain in their hearts seeing Arthur there.

Everyone was wondering if this new person was those two girls' replacement.

**Arthur reports, "There is no sign of her body, Elders."**

Weiss breathed a sigh of relief at that, knowing that if Anon hurried her sister would be alright.

**Jeanne shakes her head as she puts a data chip away, "Then she is not dead. If she survived that fall back in that White Fang base, she could certainly survive this."**

**Jacob nods his head in agreement, "Double your search." He orders.**

**Arthur salutes, "Yes Elder, right away." He and the squad leaves to gather more soldiers and search the place with a fine tooth comb.**

**Jacob, remembering what Winter said before, turns to the new person. "Tell Captain Dondochakka to prepare a Garganta immediately, Captain Pesche." (9)  
**

**Pesche bows to him, "Yes Master." He then buzzed away to inform his partner.**

**Jeanne looks to her husband in worry, "Why did you order that?"**

**He turns back to her, "That Schnee girl. Before our fight, she mentioned that Ozpin went to go after Jaune." He looks away as she gasps in shock. "I fear that our grandson is in danger."**

The heroes paled at this. They knew that Ozpin wouldn't stand a chance if Jacob, or heaven's forbid one of Jaune's _Generals_, showed up as backup.

**As he says this, several reporters were making their way inside despite the guards' efforts. Seeing them, Jeanne quickly kisses her love, and walks towards the group.**

**Watching her leave to do what she planned, Jacob walks to the hallway out of the arena.**

**Back to the castle, Oz and Jaune continue their battle on the top of the weirdly placed CCT tower. Oz jumps away as Jaune slashes underneath him, accidentally destroying one of the central links to the main support structure keeping the whole thing in place. As Oz redirects another strike, they heard something. Turning their heads, they see that at the base, the frame was beginning to groan, before the weight of the tower became too much and base began to crack before shattering in some places, sending lethal fragments everywhere.**

Watts was so shocked at seeing even more of his precious work getting destroyed by their stupidity, that he couldn't utter a single complaint.

Meanwhile, Salem was eye twitching at the continued destruction of her home.

**It's raining fragments. Both the combatants had 'Oh shit!' faces and hauled ass for cover under the various satellite dishes. Once they got to safety, Jaune swiped at Oz again.**

"Now is not the time Mr. Arc!" Glynda shouts as she watched him try to attack even under threat of the fragments hitting them.

**The central support for the structure begins to break away, and the tower soon ****falls into the river below. The two looked at each other, before running for the other side, continuing their fight as they did so. The tower tilts until it is perpendicular to the ground. They leaned forwards from the new angle, clutching onto some convenient support handles to keep them from falling off.**

**The tower soon lands, the wide area making up the tip creating enough of a surface to balance the rest of the tower and gently ride the river's current.**

Now that the shock was gone, Watts began screaming incoherently at the wasteful destruction of his work.

**Back to the coliseum, Winter continued to crawl, using her slowly replenishing Aura to heal her leg, and found a service hatch ahead. Opening it, she looks to the sky below. Then, to her relief, a bullhead moves into view.**

**Anon, in his ride, flies to underneath the opening and slows down, hovering as close to the open hatch as he could. Winter takes a deep breath, and drops out of the hatch. With a yelp from painfully landing on top of the vehicle, she moves to the side doors.**

**Hearing the gong of her landing, he guns it and flies far away from the area.**

The heroes sigh in relief at her getaway.

**Winter slowly makes her way out of the roof and inside the cargo hold through the door. She gets in, and tries to heal the rest of the damage to her leg.**

**Anon, after programing the autopilot, head to the cargo hold.**

**Seeing the damage she took, he quickly went to get a med kit. Winter looks to the door, tears streaming down her eyes now that the full implications hit her. "I failed you Weiss. Forgive me..." She whispered.**

**The bullhead flies into the city below.**

Hearing herself say that made Winter flinch as she held her sister close.

**The scene switches back to the floating tower. A blue light is seen being swung around, indicating that Jaune was still fighting Oz. Zooming to the fight, the two were climbing the tower, exchanging swipes periodically as they climbed up.**

**Oz parries a few swipes and looks ahead, the view zooming out to show that the river soon drops off into a waterfall.**

Seeing the fall, the heroes felt fear for the two. Ozpin paled as he held his two girls close.

Salem did the same, trying to convince herself that her ex dying here was a good thing. Before, the thought had her feeling satisfaction, now it made her feel sorrow.

**Realizing that they are getting very close to the edge, he looks for a way out. Seeing a cable next to him, he grabs it and leaps off the tower.**

**Seeing him swing away, Jaune grabs another loose cable and leaps after him. As Oz began to swing back, he blocked a swing from Jaune as they swung past each other.**

"Man, he _really_ wants to kill him, huh?" Mercury comments to his 'team', seeing Jaune continuing to fight despite slowly reaching the waterfall and killing them.

Emerald, Cinder, and Neo were amazed by the young man's determination to kill the Headmaster. They all wondered just how effective he could be in their plans if this determination was directed for their goals.

The students were stupefied by Jaune's stubbornness to continue fighting instead of trying to get out of the river first.

**Snapping and metal groans are heard as parts of the tower starts to break away and fall towards the river. From his cable, Oz looks underneath him and sees a floating platform making its way away from the tower. That caused him to smile a bit in hope, and as he swung to the cable's highest point he lets go. Timing it just right, he manages to land on top of the platform.**

**He immediately leans to one side and takes a piece of wide metal floating nearby. Using his Semblance for added speed, he steers the thing further away from the drop. Satisfied that the platform was no longer in danger of being pulled by the current, he looks back to the tower to see if Jaune made it out.**

**Jaune swung back to the tower, just as the entire thing tips over the drop. The view briefly switches over to below the tower as various bits and pieces starts to brake away and fall over the edge.**

His friends and family were praying for Jaune to somehow make it out of there, but were losing hope as there was nothing they could think of that could help him land over the material should he jump.

**The view switches back to Jaune as he gets up and starts running the length of the tower and makes a stunning leap. Over to Ozpin, the audience can see Jaune dropping towards the river with nothing to stop him from submerging into the sludge. As many closed their eyes to avoid seeing him potentially drown, they were all stunned when instead of falling into the river like they all thought, he miraculously lands a few inches over it!**

They all jaw dropped. The young man was standing a few inches above the river like it was solid ground!

"How?! How is doing that!" Blake shouts, her calm demeaner shattering as she witnessed an impossible event.

"That couldn't be his Semblance could it?" Pyrrha asks as she held a hand to her beating heart.

Jack smirked, "Nope. This is just one of the benefits of Reiastu."

Most of the leaders were more determined than ever now to grab the boy and harness his power for their cause.

**Ozpin jaw dropped as Jaune starts walking towards him, the tower going over the edge and disappearing into the waterfall behind him.**

**As his platform floats away for the bank of the river, Jaune quickly catches up with him.**

**Once close enough, they continue their swordfight again. They battle away at each other, Oz restricted by the limited space of the platform while Jaune had no such limiter. Jaune fazed all around him, trying to get a lethal strike in at his blind spot, while Oz was desperately trying to fend him off.**

**He barely got the boy to back off, swinging a bit wildly to gain some room, and assessing his current situation. He could feel his Aura reaching critical levels, but didn't know why. He should've had more than enough to continue this fight, it was as if his Aura was being syphoned off. He began to breath heavily as he was growing more and more tired. (10)**

Seeing his weakened state had many anxious. His heavy breathing making Ozpin's friends and students very worried.

Raven, the young mothers, and the children were looking at the scene with awe and pride.

The bandit leader couldn't believe Oz being on the ropes for most of the fight, and seeing the young man not as exhausted and limited in his movement, she could tell that Oz had very little chance of winning. The thought of that had her blush as she saw Jaune's determination come to fruition.

Vernal, Neo, and Emerald were amazed, seeing their man handling himself so well against a more experienced opponent brought a warmth to build in their loins.

The children felt pride that their daddy was beating the old man.

The White Fang members were surprised that a teenager could bring one of the strongest Huntsmen so close to the brink of exhaustion. They wondered just how much stronger he could become once he reaches his full potential.

The villains were awed by this, seeing their enemy so tired by someone so young. It was simply amazing.

**Ozpin takes a deep breath to calm down his weakening strength. Looking at the boy with sad eyes he says, "I have failed you, Mr. Arc. I have failed you."**

**Jaune takes pause, glaring at the man who betrayed his family's trust. The two confronting each other on the river. "You betrayed us Ozpin," he shakes his head, "****I should have known the Huntsmen were plotting to take over..."**

Hearing him say that brought many a sharp pain in the hearts of the heroes.

**Ozpin shakes his own head, trying to make him see the truth, "I would never betray my friends! Jaune, _Jacob_ is evil!"**

"Please Jaune," Pyrrha with tears flowing down says, pleading, with Jaune to stop this already, "please believe him."

The other heroes also pleading with the young Arc to stop and listen to the Headmaster.

**The young man snarls at him, "From my point of view, the _Huntsmen_ are evil!"**

Pyrrha, and many others, wept at his declaration. They knew that he was too far gone now.

**Ozpin narrows his eyes, "Well then you are lost!"**

His agreement had them cry harder.

**Jaune steps closer to him, "This is the end for you, Ozpin... I wish that there was another way."**

**As Ozpin prepared his cane for another bout, Jaune jumps and flips over Oz's head to land on the other side of the platform. The fighting soon continues again, with the two using the last of their reserves to overpower the other.**

**Ozpin blocks another swipe, and seeing off the corner of his vision that the bank was close enough now, he pushes the young man back and jumps toward the safety of the black sand of the beach.**

**He turns back to an unamused Jaune and yells, "****It's over, Jaune! I have the high ground!"**

**The screen zooms in on Jaune's glaring face, "You underestimate my power!"**

**Back to Oz, he shakes his head, "Don't try it."**

**Jaune jumps up and over Ozpin with a shout. As Ozpin follows his path overhead, he swipes his cane to shatter his legs. However, Jaune had planned this and fazed directly behind him. Oz, wide-eyed by this deception, quickly used his Semblance to turn around and block the downward swing with both hands on either end of his cane, but it was at that moment that his Aura finally gave out.**

**With his Aura no longer protecting his cane, Jaune's sword sliced through the shaft and his chest.**

The audience was speechless.

**Zooming to his face, Ozpin gasps in shock and pain. Zooming back to show the two, Oz slowly lowers his arms with the two parts of his cane held tightly, the connecting parts glow red, for a moment longer before he drops them on the sand. Then, he slowly falls to his knees, but was caught before he could fall to the ground any further by Jaune. Slowly lowering him to the ground, he kneels before the gasping Headmaster.**

They couldn't believe it.

The heroes were heartbroken. The last Headmaster has fallen, and thus the last hope of the Huntsmen returning.

The villains were stunned. This young boy, with this last stroke, had just systematically wiped out _all_ major opposition to his Clan's rule.

Raven felt her heart beat faster in want, as did Vernal, Neo, and Cinder.

**Looking up, Ozpin sees Jaune, surprised to see so much pain in his eyes and tears flowing down his face. "I'm sorry." He hears the boy whisper.**

Seeing the clear pain and regret of his actions in his features, the heroes couldn't help but pity the boy. He would have to live with his actions for the rest of his life.

**Bending close to whisper in his ear, the audience couldn't make out what was said but once he straightened back up, they could see shock in the man's features. (11)**

No one knew what was said, but seeing the man tearing up they wanted to know.

**Jaune softly strokes the dying man's head and nods, "Go now, be at peace with her."**

**Ozpin smiles as the tears fell, before his eyes grow heavy and he succumbs to his injuries. His last thoughts were 'I hope you saved me a spot in the afterlife my dear.' And with that, Ozpin passed away at last.**

Salem teared up a bit, knowing that his last thoughts were for her. But she was thankful that he went in peace. 'Hopefully, we will be reunited in the afterlife.'

Ozpin felt at peace, knowing that this was the last stop for him in that future. He knew that with Salem gone, his mission was over. He was mortal now, and he could finally know peace.

His friends and students cried as they saw him die, and though he felt sadness for making them feel this way, he felt that he deserved to finally rest.

**Jaune cried, seeing the man close his eyes for the last time. He gently lowers his body to the ground and stands up. Offering a final prayer of forgiveness to the Pillars, he looks around him. Taking a few minutes to calm himself down, and a deep breath to steady his nerves while wiping the tears away, he summons a Garganta. Coming out of it was Apache, followed by Mila Rose, Sung-Sun and two guards.**

**As the former two looks around, Sung-Sun stops before her master and bows. "My Lord."**

**Jaune looks to her and simply says "Rise."**

**As she does so, he looks to the other two. "Are the preparations ready?"**

**Mila Rose was quick to answer "Yes My Lord, all preparations for the next stage are ready. Just as you requested, the news stations are live."**

Everyone wondered what the hell she meant by the news stations. 'Just what are you planning?'

**He nods, "Very good. Follow me." As he turns back to the castle, he orders one guard to bring Ozpin's body and weapon with them.**

**Using their speed techniques, they made it back to the castle in record time. Quickly moving past the various dead bodies, they moved past the observation room and went inside the conference room.**

**As they entered, Jaune fazed before Salem's corpse, and gently picks her up. He then handed her over to the second guard and ordered them to leave to Mistral. They bowed and left with the two bodies.**

Salem and Ozpin wondered what his plans for their corpses would be.

**Turning to his Generals, he orders "Report."**

**Apache was the first to step forward, "My Lord, the status of 4 Kingdoms have stabilized. Vacuo and Mistral were the easiest to accept your rule. With Shade Academy destroyed and bandits & Grimm roaming free, Vacuo was quick to submit to your forces in order to gain protection. In Mistral, Elders Sidious and Traya had garnered much influence and love within the Kingdom over the years. They were more than happy to follow. In Vale, we had some resistance from the populous, but after the news of the Huntsmen's betrayal came to light they were quick to fall in line. Atlas is still proving to be problematic, but with the other Kingdoms following you, they will be subdued in time."**

Knowing that the Kingdoms had fallen so easily, it made many afraid of how fragile their system of government really was.

Salem and Cinder hummed as they wondered how to use this new information to their advantage. At least they knew that Vacuo would be easy to topple.

**Jaune scowled at Atlas's refusal to bow. "Stupid Atlassian arrogance." he mutters. "What of Mantle?"**

Weiss, Winter, and James felt insulted; while the White Fang giggled at the comment and their reactions.

**Apache smirks, "The people of Mantle have expressed a willingness to follow you, My Lord."**

**He hums, thinking of a plan to deal with Atlas, then nods to her.**

**Bowing once more, she steps back and Mila Rose stepped forward to issue her report. "My Lord,**** Loly and Menoly have already left Vale and began dispatching the traitors from the list you sent. By their accounts, they have already taken out about 98% of the spies and should be finished by the end of the day." (12)**

The villains paled at the quick disintegration of their spy network, limited in number as they were. 'Perhaps I should invest in more spies for redundancy.' Salem thought in worry.

The heroes meanwhile were stunned at how quickly they were being taken out.

**She continues with "As for the remaining Huntsmen, many of the surviving students from the secondary schools have surrendered and the Clan is currently processing them. The professional ones being hunted down as we speak."**

Now the reactions were reversed.

**Jaune nods, knowing that the surviving students were too young to have known of the Headmasters' betrayal.**

**She bows and steps back, allowing Sung-Sun to step up and give her own report. "My Lord, as stated before, all preparations are complete as per your orders. We are ready to proceed, on command."**

**"Good." Jaune says before looking around, "Time to go then."**

**They quickly left and reappeared over the castle.**

**The three women then raised their arms palms up until they were pointed to the building. Three red spheres of energy begins forming past their palms. "Cero!" The spheres quickly turns into beams of energy, racing down towards the castle at fast speeds. As the beams impact against the building, it erupts in an explosion as the ceros disintegrate the very foundations of the castle.**

**As the smoke clears, nothing of the castle remains and they gently float near the remains.**

Salem was pissed. Her home, that she spent so long in building, was destroyed in a matter of seconds!

The rest were shocked by the power of these 'Ceros', terrified of what else these people had up their sleeves.

**Just then, a Garganta opens up behind them and Jacob is seen along with a platoon of clones exiting the rift.**

**Seeing his grandson alright, Jacob sighed in relief. "Oh thank the Pillars, you're alright."**

**Looking ahead, he raises an eyebrow. "Is everything alright?"**

**Jaune turns to him and nods, "Everything is fine, grandpa. I was just about to issue the order."**

**He nods, "Oh ok, then it's a good thing I arrived when I did." He takes out a scroll and as they all gently lower to the ground, he turns it on.**

**"Alright boys and girls, you can come in now."**

**At the same time, Jaune orders the three to make ready their next orders.**

**Before the audience could question what they meant, the area was soon surrounded by multiple Gargantas of various sizes; and unknown to the audience, everywhere in the Land of Darkness.**

**One opens up behind the group, and Lisa Lavender along with other reporters and camera crews walk through, followed by another platoon of guards.**

The heroes blanched, wondering what the hell they were doing there!

The villains, White Fang, and criminals were wondering what the Arcs had planned now.

**Many of the reporters paled at seeing the hellish landscape, a few pointing to various pools where Grimm could be seen coming out in fear. They all looked to their security detail with gratitude when they, along with most of the ones who came with Jacob, formed up around them in a protective pattern, killing any Grimm that were stupid enough to come near them.**

**"Hello everyone." Jacob said, earning the reporters' attention. "I trust that by now you would believe my wife has been telling the truth back at the coliseum, yes?"**

**Many nodded, remembering the news the woman gave them to show to the Kingdoms. How they were given the video recording of Winter's speech to Jacob, their grand duel, and her declaration before she was forced to flee.**

"Wait, _that's_ what she was doing with that console?" Blake asked in shock, remembering the old Faunus fiddling around with the controls for something, but didn't know 'till now what it was.

Winter paled, knowing what she said and did might've just shattered what credibility the Huntsmen still had.

** With some fumbling, their cameras started to roll, projecting the horrifying image of the landscape live to a terrified Remnant. **

**After talking a bit to the cameras, the reporters turned to a patient Jacob. "Ladies and Gentlemen, my fellow Humans and Faunus. For too long have the Headmasters lied to us all. For too long have they allowed the Grimm to fester and persist for generations! I know that many of you had refused to believe these claims, and many of you still do. Allow me to lay our claims to rest. May I present to you, the secret that the Headmasters have kept hidden from us all." He spreads his arms wide as the cameras zoom out. "Behold. The Breeding Grounds and Source of all Grimm!"**

**The reporters gasp, and the people watching all over the world were stunned. The breeding grounds, the _birthplace_ of the Grimm. Their greatest enemy.**

The adults were shocked that he announced that to the world, didn't he know that showing this would cause fear within the Kingdoms and independent settlements to skyrocket?!

**Gesturing to Jaune and company****, Jacob says "And it was all thanks to my dear grandson, and his most _loyal_ Generals, that we have finally found this unholy place."**

The way he said the word 'loyal' made his friends bristle, believing that it was a blow to them personally.

**"And now!" He looks back to the cameras, "And now, he leads the greatest chance of ridding us all of our demons." He looks to Jaune as he raises his sword high, the cameras taking in his knightly stance and features.**

That part made them pause in shock.

"Impossible," Cinder says as she looks around her, "there's no way he has the numbers to lay siege to the land, nor any way to destroy the Grimm pools."

Many of her cohorts nodded in agreement. Even Ozpin doubted that what they had planned could be done. 'After all, this place was created by the Brothers' magic.'

**"Arrancars!" Jaune shouts, earning the attention of everyone, "For too long have you all watched over us, wishing to help protect the innocent people of Remnant!" He looks to all the rifts and sees the many soldiers, Grimmjow, Tier, and Nel hidden in the shadows.**

**"Thanks to all of you, our world now stands on the precipice of the _peace_, that so many _brave_ souls over _countless_ generations have gladly given their lives for! We only need one final push, one final charge to avenge them all!" As he speaks, tears are shed by the reporters, and peoples of Remnant.**

**Then, he lowers his blade. In a calm voice that carries over to the soldiers, and the people of their world, he looks to everyone and says "I know the road has been tough, and I _know_ that I have no right to ask this of any of you... But will you follow me... one last time?"**

His speech had many in tears.

*Sniff* "I would've gladly followed you, big brother." Nora says.

Pyrrha nods, continuing where she left off, "To the bitter end."

Ren stares at his leader, his brother, and ends it, "And beyond."

Their friends and family giving various nods and voicing their agreements.

Saphron was in tears, but was looking at her brother with great love and pride, 'I am so proud of you, baby brother. Go. Go and avenge the victorious dead.'

**The rifts started to shout. The reporters started to shout. The people of Remnant started to shout. "We follow YOU!"**

**After that was shouted, vast armies of clones, led by their Generals, started to rush out of the rifts and fall to the ground and engage the stunned Grimm below. Hundreds, thousands, and more rushed out as they yelled "Long live the Arcadian Empire!"**

**They attacked the creatures with a ferocity that surprised those in the audience. With no risk of collateral damage to worry about, they made liberal use of their Balas and Ceros against the Grimm.**

**While the Grimm still continued to spawn from their pools, they just couldn't replace their numbers faster than the armies could destroy them.**

"Impossible" Salem whispered, seeing the Grimm fall back under the vast numbers of these 'Arrancars'.

"Incredible." Ozpin says as he sees the impossible: the dark creatures falling back within their own territory!

**As the attack continued, Grimmjow, Tier, and Nel thrust their arms to the largest pools closest to them, and familiar balls of energy started to form. "Cero!"**

**Their Ceros shot out and impacted the sludge, disintegrating the black ooze on the spot, earning much cheer from the people watching at home, and shocking many of the audience.**

"How?" Salem whispered. "How did they do that?"

"Milady... how? How did they manage to destroy the Grimm pools?" Cinder asks her leader as everyone witnessed the three people move on to other areas.

**Seeing the results, other soldiers began firing their own Ceros at the pools closest to them.**

The heroes were amazed. They were witnessing the source of the Grimm be destroyed piece by piece.

**All of this was being recorded by the reporters. All across the world, people were celebrating the destruction of the Grimm's home. ****Some even went to the soldiers nearest to them and hugged them, much to their surprise. They became subjected to praises and affection. The soldiers could do nothing but awkwardly try to calm their new admirers down. A few were even offered 'rewards' by some of the more 'grateful' of the citizens.**

**Back to the battle, the armies were overrunning the Grimm. All across the Land of Darkness, the Arrancars were destroying the landscape.**

**Unseen by the audience, Jaune had secretly ordered hundreds of gigantic Gargantas to surround and envelop the borders of the land. From these rifts, thousands of gigantic creatures several stories tall appeared. They all looked exactly the same with a white mask with an elongated nose, bodies covered from head to two in a black cloak, and around their necks a row of thin white spikes. (13)  
**

**They all soon spread out, and opened their mouths to begin firing Ceros on the Grimm below, not letting the creatures have any chance of escape. They also fired at any pools they could find. All of them were being coordinated by various Adjuchas-class Menos who sided with the Arc or his Generals out of loyalty or fear. Concentrating their fire to the sky, the Adjuchas were saturating it with Ceros and Balas to quickly destroy any flying Grimm that were attempting to flee. With this, the Grimm populating the Land of Darkness were trapped.**

**As the armies continued their attack, the audience could only gaze in awe. The screen turned dark.**

***11 Months Later***

**The screen opens up to Vale. The people inside its walls happily going about their day. Flags with the Arc symbol proudly displayed over windowsills. In the parks, children were laughing, playing 'Arrancar vs Huntsmen.'**

**One child, a dog Faunus, was wearing a skull mask, 'fighting' a human boy dressed as a Huntsman. She shouted "Haha! You will fall, traitor!" Before swinging a roam sword at her friend.**

The sight of the city at peace brought many smiles. The flags, not so much. Seeing the children playing a game surrounding their Fall actually hurt. Though, seeing a Faunus and Human playing together did help soften the blow.

**The screen heads to Vacuo, where the city looks to have expanded somewhat. Patrols of soldiers were marching along, getting praises heaped upon them even after all this time, as they continued their day.**

**Next was Mantle, where the audience could see that the floating city of Atlas was nowhere to be found!**

"What?! What happened to Atlas?!" James shouts, turning to Jack for an explanation as Weiss and Winter looked a the screen with fear.

The god rubbed the back of his neck, "Yeah, so..." He sucked in a breath, "Remember how Jaune's General reported that Atlas was getting problematic?" The three from the city nodded their heads. "So, a couple months after the battle, the higher echelon didn't want to submit to the Empire's rule any longer. _However_," he raised his hand up to silence any comments, "Mantle and the lower classes of the floating city did. So Jaune ordered his soldiers to quietly transport the loyal citizens away from the city. He then ordered one of his new Commanders to strike and capture as many of the dissenters as they could."

Glynda raised an eyebrow, "And who is this new commander?"

He points to the leader of the White Fang, "His wife, Sienna Kahn."

Many who wanted that title glared at the shocked woman.

Sienna was shocked. She never believed that she would ever marry a Human. Same with her subordinates, current and former. "And why would I marry him?"

Jack shrugged, "Well, first he promised that Jacques Schnee and the SDC executive board would be handed over to you to deal with however you wished."

That got her, and others, to jaw drop. "The leaders of the SDC would be under _my_ jurisdiction?" Sienna asks, not believing what she heard.

Jacque's daughters shrugged, not caring what happened to their awful father really. Though they did wonder about something.

Jack nods, "Yep. He also sent a large force of soldiers and Faunus Arcs to help safeguard and even expand Menagerie's presence on their island nation, recognizing it as its own independent Kingdom with you as its leader." Hearing that he legitimatized the first _Faunus Kingdom_, Sienna was brought to tears of happiness. Same with the rest of the Faunus.

Blake and Velvet were happy to hear that the Faunus would finally get the equality their people fought so hard to obtain, only wishing that their others were alive to see it.

Eve was in awe that a Human did all this for her kind. She silently wished to meet him and do what she thought was impossible: shake his hand and thank him for his contributions to the cause.

"And our mother and younger brother?" Weiss asked with dread. She and Winter were hoping that their mother and brother made it out alright.

Jack rose his hand and said, "Calm down, they were some of the few high class that wanted to submit." The two sighed in relief. "Anyway, after he ordered the attack, Sienna went and rounded up as many of the people as her soldiers could, killing those who resisted." He points to the paused screen, "After the people were taken away, he ordered the people of Mantle to take down the pillars that grounded Atlas, which the people were more than happy to do." James and Winter were dismayed to hear that. "After the city was freed and at a safe distance, he ordered his Generals to open fire at it. It only took a few shots to bring it down. The people captured were then sent to prison for their crimes."

No one knew what to say to that. Though the heroes were happy that most of the people were evacuated, they were horrified to know that a city was wiped out so easily.

**The scene then switches to Mistral, showing it to have expanded greatly after the threat of Grimm was heavily reduced in the area. The people were happy to have their protectors, proudly gazing and saluting to the symbol of the Arcs.**

**It then switches to Menagerie where its capital, Kuo Kuana, had nearly quadrupled in size from their protectors wiping out nearly all Grimm on the island. It also showed that much of the deserts on the island mass was covered in a large, freshwater lake. The audience didn't know that it was thanks to Tier's ability to summon large amounts of water that caused this to appear.**

**The scene switches over to Argus, where it zooms to show Jaune walking down the street. The people were constantly stopping to bow to their leader, even though he had tried for months to get them to stop that.**

His friends and family chuckled/giggled at his awkwardness from the people's admiration of him. Many of them did take notice of the new outfit he was wearing though, and how buffed up he became after nearly a year (Vol7's armor, longer hair and a professional swimmer's body).

**He walks until he stops on top of a hill overlooking the burning remains of an island chain that made up the military base over the city's harbor. **

**Not looking back as a red portal appears behind him, and a woman in a shallow cut black and red dress with black shorts underneath, a series of beaded necklaces and a belt wrapped around her waist, her weapon, and a long black object made of either fur or feathers, with a red and white bandana material behind her. Her forearms covered in red armored gauntlets and solid black gloves. She also has black mid-thigh high leggings with red splatter patterns and black heels. Lastly, she had long black hair and a fierce full-face mask resembling the face of a creature of Grimm. This was Raven Branwen. And she was bowing to her leader.**

**He narrows his eyes at the base and says "Report."**

Everyone who knew her was shocked at seeing her there, never mind bowing in submission.

The woman herself was a bit ticked by seeing her other even taking orders from him. "What the hell! Why am I bowing to him?"

Jack shrugged, "Ain't it obvious? You were visited about a week after the final battle by a few of Jaune's men, and to avoid having your tribe wiped out, you surrendered to them. It helped that you saw what they did to the Grimm's land, and knew that you were no match for them."

The woman wanted to argue, she really did, but she could definitely see herself doing that. 'Plus, with Salem dead and the Arcs in charge, surrendering to them is better than having my tribe destroyed by one of their Cero things.' She nods, agreeing with his assessment.

**Raven takes off her mask, "I tracked down Winter Schnee and her little band of traitors to the base. Over 200 Huntsmen." He turns to look at her, knowing that someone important to her was there as well. She sees this, and doesn't even hesitate. "Taiyang Xiao Long was one of them."**

Hearing his name being one of the Huntsmen there made the man sweat. He knew that he would fight against anyone who murdered his family, but he also knew that if the kid's Generals came to the picture, then that 'fight' would be a 'slaughter'.

Weiss and Winter were pale at hearing her name be mentioned. The fact that the islands were destroyed pointed only to one thing.

**Jaune sighs, and walks to her. Placing a hand on top of her shoulder, he says "I know this has been difficult, but-" He was silenced by Raven leaning forwards and placing a gentle kiss on his lips.**

That action had many brains short-circuit. Many glared at the stunned woman with jealousy, while Salem and Ozpin looked at this with disapproval.

Raven didn't know what to say to this, but her daughter summed it up. "What the fuck?!"

Jack chuckled, earing their attention. "Oh, did I forget to mention that Raven married him too?"

The audience sputtered at this, though Ozpin felt a bit of pride well up for some reason.

**She leans back and smiles, "Don't worry about me, my loyalty is to the Arcs remember?"**

**He chuckles, "I suppose." He looks deeply into her eyes. "You ready, _Mrs_. Arc?"**

**The woman smirks, "Are _you_, Mr. Arc?"**

**The two kiss again, and separate. As they go through a Garganta he summoned, she said "I do expect a title for my efforts though."**

**With a witty smile, he chuckles as they went to the portal. "But of course, Lady D****racarys.****" (14)**

The title, though not really understanding its meaning, felt a bit off to her. 'Still,' Raven smirked, 'A title means that I'm nominated for becoming an Elder of the Arcs. Not bad.'

Cinder scowled, feeling that the title belonged to her.

**"By the way." Raven said, earning his attention. "I hear that a group of archeologists found something in the deserts off of Vacuo."**

**Jaune raised an eyebrow, "Oh really?"**

**As the rift closed, Raven nodded. "Yeah. They've taken to calling it the 'Door to Heaven'."**

Once the portal closes, the screen turns off and the audience were left feeling confused and angry.

Raven was happy to know that she married this strong man, but was a bit disappointed at not having children yet. She could only hope that she would get them before her fellow wife. 'Heh, with my looks, he'll be _begging_ for me to rock his world.' She smirked at the thought, blushing a bit as her imagination ran wild.

Sienna was blushing as she felt a bit embarrassed from her future with the kid. 'Though I suppose if he tried so hard to help my people, marrying him wouldn't be _so_ bad.' She started to smile. 'In fact, this marriage would be a great way to show and promote further unity between our two peoples.' The more she thought it over, the more the _Faunus Queen_, she giggled a bit at her title, wasn't _against_ the idea of marriage.

Summer and Glynda facepalmed at Raven marrying someone young enough to be his mother. 'For Oum's sake, Raven. You're _way_ too old to be doing something like this.' They both thought.

Raven suddenly felt like beating the crap out of a redhead and a hypocritical blond.

The girls were grumbling about those two _hags_ getting him.

Yang was still angry at her apparent cougar of a mother for going after her friend, and was even more so when she glanced over and saw the smirk.

Pyrrha was downright pissed off that so many women were encroaching on _her_ territory. Her eyes narrowed, determined to make her feelings known to her dense partner as soon as she sees him.

Saphron was a bit weirded out over those older women marrying her baby brother, but if they made him happy then she wouldn't say anything. Instead, she went over to wake up her still sleeping baby boy, wondering how he managed to sleep through everything. She smiled a bit as his clothes changed to a mini version of Jaune's outfit, cloak and all.

Just then, a light shone inside a case, and a copy of Seele Schneider appeared inside. The handle had many get up from their seats and move away from it as quickly as they could, not wanting to get close to the weapon that killed them.

Jack, seeing this, stretched his arms and stood up. "Alright, so I guess that now that the view is over, I should explain myself, huh?"

The audience looked to Jack in slight confusion, then remembered how they were promised an explanation. So they gingerly went back to their seats and listened.

The god nods, "So first off, Salem here," he points to the Grimm Queen, "was cursed with magic as we all know." Several nodded, thinking back to when they got their gifts. "The Brother Gods had forcefully turned her into an immortal. As such, she couldn't be killed by anyone." The audience nodded, understanding how the curse affected her.

He sighs a bit, "Now, the reason why she couldn't be killed was because everyone who had previously faced off against her were all using mortal weapons, or 'gifts' originally given by the Gods, to kill her. Aura, Magic, Dust; nothing would've worked, because they were all created by the Brothers, and thus couldn't negate a curse given by them either."

Ozpin was shocked, then thought back to Jinn's words. 'She said that I couldn't kill her. Was it because that the only weapons I could've gotten my hands on were worthless from the very beginning?'

He knew that even with magic, he was barely strong enough to defeat her, but still couldn't kill her. Unimpeded, Jack says "Reiatsu, however, _wasn't_ created by the Brothers. This means that her curse doesn't have a defense against it. And since Jaune's blade is made up of the energy, her immortality could never hope to stand against it." (15)

Many nodded their heads, not really understanding it but wanted to move on with the conversation.

Ruby raised her hand in question, "But that doesn't explain how Professor Ozpin lost so fast."

Jack nods, "You're right. That was due to Seele Schneider's special abilities. The blade acts like a chainsaw, making about 3 million round trips per second around the edge of the blade." He paused as everyone gave a weary glance at the innocent handle. "The vibrations of the blade also loosens the bonds between the energy or physical objects of whatever it cuts in order to make the slice easier. It also has this last ability (Yang: "Good, 'cause this is starting to get pretty old."). This ability is collecting and absorbing the energy of an opponent's attacks. The more energy an enemy releases, the more powerful the person wielding it becomes. This effectively allowed Ozma's energy to used against him."

"But Mr. Ozpin didn't use his Aura to attack Mr. Arc." Penny says.

Jack made a 'so-so' gesture, "Eh, sort of. Ozma didn't use his Aura to _directly_ attack him, sure. However, he did use it to protect his cane. _That_ gave Jaune the opportunity to siphon off his energy. Now listen carefully, all of you." He looks around the room, showing them a deadly serious face. "This weapon is quite possibly the worst weapon any of you could face in your world. If you _ever_ go against someone wielding one, then run. You won't survive."

As the audience gulp from his warning, the orb finally leaves the screen. The droid quickly goes to grab it before it could drop to the ground.

As this happened, Joker felt that it was his time to leave. So he quietly went on his way; sure it didn't fit his style, but with the new revelations the people had, he didn't think he could do anything to shock them further.

The children of Salem and Ozpin also got up, drawing their parents attention.

"Where are you all going, sweethearts?" Salem asks.

Oma smiles at her mom, "It's time, mommy. We have to go now" Her mother gasps and immediately reaches to grab her and her sister close, same with Ozpin and the two with them. She hugs her, "Don't worry mommy, we'll see each other again, I promise." She then pulls away from her crying mother, and kisses her cheek goodbye.

Gretchen also gets up, "I guess that's my signal to leave as well." She turns to her saddened brother and smiles. "Don't worry, bro. You still have the journal, you can still talk to me anytime you like."

Hazel nods, then gets up to hug her sister. As she hugs him back, she starts to glow before vanishing in his arms.

Oma and her sisters turn to leave as well, but before that they turn to James. "We hope that you have learned the dangers of being overly paranoid." The man nods, knowing how his actions had caused so many deaths and accepted it, vowing to not let it affect him again. She smiles and turns to Jaune's children. "As for you, I do believe that you should have a gift, so here." She raises a hand, and the children glow a bright light.

Once the glow ends, the children all holds their heads a bit in pain. Their mothers held them close, asking them what was wrong in worry. Circe said, "Don't worry, my sister did nothing harmful to them." The mothers turned to her. The little girl smiled brightly, "She just made it so that they would continue to be with you."

They looked back to their daughters. They always feared their children would leave sometime, but knowing that they wouldn't, they relaxed.

Hecate turned to the rest of the audience and says, "We understand that seeing this future has caused much heartache." The people looked to her; some in anger, others in deep pain. "As a way to help ease your souls, we will show you another future, one where the actions of Mr. Ironwood hasn't happen." She smiled softly, "A Jaune Arc whose heart you are all familiar with."

As she says this, Vivian takes another purple orb and goes to place it against the screen.

After she did this, the four sisters shined a bright light, disappearing soon after. But not before leaving with a final note, "_May you find peace on the road to the Great Path_."

**END**

**And Done! Glad that no one was upset about my brief 'vacation'. Hope you liked how Raven and Sienna are married to him here, thought that about a year was enough time to get them to know each other. Now, as Jack said, Reiatsu was never created by the Brothers, which means that any gifts/curses made by them would not hold up against it. Speaking of that, some are saying that Jaune was becoming too OP in such a short period of time. He really isn't. He hasn't used any of Ichigo's techniques. The _most_ he used was Shunpo, which is one of the more basic abilities I think. As I keep saying, Seele Schneider is the _worst_ weapon any of them could face. With it acting as both a mini-chainsaw on steroids and stealing soul energy (like Aura) from an opponent to make itself more deadly (and that's in its _normal_ setting, never mind when the user pumps more of their _own_ energy into it, or its other functions), any close to mid-range fighters would be at a _very_ serious disadvantage; and with Shunpo, he is more unpredictable with the added benefit of being able to get up close and personal with any long-range fighters, creating headaches for them as well. About this time, I would figure him to be at 3rd to 4th seat in Shinigami ranks. Not close to Lieutenant, but he isn't a scrub. And for those who think he shouldn't be _that_ strong, keep in mind that he had to stay in Hueco Mundo for a while to: A. Organize and gather the Arrancars and Menos, B. Convince them and the Adjuchas to join his side, C. Wait until Rudbornn can make his armies in sufficient numbers, and D. Coordinate them all to have them attack at the same time as the Arcs. While so little time has passed in Remnant before Order 66 was enacted, Hueco Mundo has time moving a _lot_ quicker. A minute could be like a day in that place. He's had _more_ than enough time for him to gather his forces while getting some needed training done to sharpen his skill (since Ichigo got stronger facing powerful opponents, Jaune could do the same).**

**Second, you may think that seeing another future after just watching this one is a bit much, but hear me out. Seeing a universe with Jaune being a hero would help them get over this future, it wouldn't really solve the issue. This one will show the audience (and his friends in particular) the gentler side of him as they knew him. If they were to see a hero version of Jaune, then it wouldn't be as impactful for them since that version doesn't live in _their_ universe, he's not _their_ Jaune.**

**One final note, since the Spring Semester started recently and I'm going back to classes, expect longer update periods as a result. Sorry about that :(**

**Thank you all for the support, and I'll see you next time in the next arc: "Alice in Wonderland!"**

**1\. Hint hint.**

**2\. Good luck with that. The blade can only be used by those who can utilize Reiatsu, Aura won't work. And even _if_ you destroy it, which may or may not be possible, 1) There's more than one, and 2) Jaune can just summon Zangetsu to fight and kill Salem (at least once he becomes more powerful anyway).**

**3\. Magic.**

**4\. Harribel's Fracción.**

**5\. Ozpin had taken Anon's ride, but it would've taken several hours to head to Salem's lair. As for Winter, she had to wait 'till the cover of darkness to move against Jacob. She had to keep herself hidden from any enemy patrol. Remember, she still doesn't know about the Arrancar's sensing abilities.**

**6\. I think that Oz's Semblance is some sort of Time Dilation, based on his fight with Cinder. He managed to destroy all the glass(?) shards that she flung at him, then went to hit her multiple times on the chest and limbs in the span of a few seconds. As for Jaune keeping up, he's used to fighting at high speeds by this point. His memories of how to fight effectively, coupled with his experience in Hueco Mundo as he waited for the army to spawn, and his battles with fighting the students and teachers of Beacon really helped him with sharpening his skills. Not to mention that the nap he had really helped in getting his energy back.**

**7\. The biome used during the doubles round match of Penny&Ciel vs Russel&Sky, only it's the antigravity biome summoned. No Ocean, Geyser, and Mountain biomes included.  
**

**8\. I figure 400 men would be reasonable to search the bleachers while still being a pain for them. A battalion is 3-800 soldiers.**

**9\. Nel's Fracción.**

**10\. I feel that under normal circumstances, he could potentially go on for another hour at most. Using his Semblance, getting hit by a few kicks and punches, _and_ constantly using his Aura to protect his cane and a shield for himself? Eventually, he _would_ run out. Seele Schneider just made the process that much quicker.**

**11\. "Do not despair, All-Father. Your curse has been lifted. Your wife is at peace now, thus y****ou do not have to suffer from your duty any longer."**

**12\. You may think that catching these spies would be difficult, and normally it would be true, but with there being just over 100, and their identities, scroll, & Hazel's last instructions in hand, it would be child's play for the Arrancars to buzz in and take them all into custody. Now while the numbers may seem small, the population of Remnant isn't all that spread out to begin with, and with the CCT's being an excellent source of information gathering, why bother having more than that. Much of the people lived in the major cities for protection, hence why most of the spies would be stationed there. With how unimportant the scattered villages and towns are (why send a spy if Grimm work just as good here?), and the small cities having less strategic value in gathering information, the last 2% would be stationed there.**

**13\. Gillian-class Menos.**

**14\. Dracarys: ****The High Valyrian word for Dragonfire (Game of Thrones). I figured it would make sense with her colored armor and sword. I know that her Maiden Powers lean more towards Ice, and Cinder's thoughts reflect on this.**

**15.**** Think of it like The Mummy. The protagonists didn't have a way to harm him because they were using mortal weapons. So that had to find immortal ones. The same for here, only they already had one. Jaune's blade is made up of spiritual energy, energy that can deal severe damage to a person's very soul. And since Reiatsu wasn't created by the Brothers, there is no counter to damages from it. Also, keep in mind that most of the people depicted in Bleach are sort of immortal (meaning they can't age, or at least age very slowly). The only way to effectively harm them are weapons made up of spiritual energy, which Jaune has, and Salem is in a similar boat to those people.**


	19. Interlude

**Chapter 18: "Interlude"**

**Hello everybody, long time no see! Another chapter here brought to you by your friendly neighborhood author. Now, I know that you guys were expecting "Alice in Woderland", and it's coming, but it's also _very_ slow-going. With me back at school, I have so little time to write nowadays. Doesn't help that I'm majoring in History, and that focuses a _lot_ of energy in writing essays (which actually makes great practice). And I do think this interlude is necessary because it has a lot of exposition that would've been incomplete and just weird if I just added it to part of the next arc, so I felt that separating it was for the best. Also, I think a lot of you were a bit confused by the title of the next arc, so here's a couple hints: many characters in RWBY are based off of fairytales, and Jaune is going to _unexpectedly_ become a father.**

**Now then, on to the reviews!**

**thegermankaiserreich: Sure. I never really liked the boat ride from the new version anyway. The old one, with Mr. Wonka's commentary, was _way_ more awesome.**

**Tanya von Degurechaff: I was planning on doing the opening part of Terminator Genesis actually. I don't think someone had Jaune be a T1000 (or really any Terminator), but I don't wanna do the entire movie, and the opening scene of Genesis was so cool when I saw it in the theaters. The rest of that movie can suck eggs though.**

**Brigdaddy1: I did, but I'm not a huge fan the movie. The love subplot felt a bit forced (really dude, falling in love with your dead wife's sister?), the way the movie called those people working his farm 'free' (they're in _South Carolina_, no way they were 'free' anything), and the boy trying to scare the women about how the British would come to their house and... well let's just say that he should really get his head checked (that's your family you're telling that to, for God's sake!). I'm a History Buff, so seeing a lot of incorrect historical events play out just makes my brain itch. I know that they were taking creative liberties to make the movie sound 'exciting', but real historical events can be just as exciting (like the Battle of Bunker Hill [wrong hill by the way]). It's the same reason why I won't touch Kingdom of Heaven.**

**primus101: *Shush* No spoilers.**

**BlackPhantom247: Oh, I'm familiar with it. And no, 40K is _not_ going to be making an appearance (at least the mainstream version). I'd rather _not_ have Chaos finding out about the Nexus. If the Joker, who's mortal, can interact with the audience in his universe, then you can be sure that the Ruinous Powers would as well, and to a worse degree. Although I will agree with you: their views would be heavily affected, just not in the way you may have envisioned.**

**warrior of six blades: Don't worry, it will be more lighthearted. I guarantee it.**

**Wolfang21: Glad you enjoyed my alterations with the last arc. As for Kung Fu Hustle, I was thinking Junior would fit more since his goons _do_ look like members of the Axe Gang, even having axes as their more popular weapons (Roman was going to be that accountant dude who 'felt sick' when ordered to kill). Tyrian is the toad master (he's certainly crazy/dangerous enough), and Salem & Oz are the landowners. That swap is just _too_ funny to resist XD**

**Horrorfan247: So long as I know the material, sure. That may sound weird, but trying to make a reaction from something I don't know anything about would make the whole thing a pile of shit, no matter how awesome the material may be. It's like trying to build a desk: if you don't know what you're doing, you'll just do it wrong. So lay 'em on me, just know that I may or may not agree.**

**JaCk-o'-LaNtErN 91: Thanks, Nel was always my favorite, personally (being grown up, yet still having that childish attitude was too cute for me). As for the reveal, I actually needed it to happen. With how strange some of the future scenarios can go, having the Arcs be as integrated as they were shown would give me a lot of wiggle room to work with.**

**Corvus Ravenesqu: I actually didn't think that when I wrote that scene. The eyes were simply him tapping into his hollow side for some more power. I had to do that since he just got off his ship, and was a bit nauseous. Then he had to fight multiple Huntsmen, White Fang, a half-Maiden and Salem. He needed something to tip the scale in his favor, I apologize if you felt that way.**

**Legion 5173: I always try to read all the reviews you guys send, even if I can't reply to all of them. As for the request, I never watched jojo to be honest. The art style was very off-putting for me that I just never got around to watching it. So, sorry, but I can't.**

**BlackPhantom247: Thinking about it. Loved Atlantis to be honest, and I don't think it gets as much love as it should. Jaune would make an excellent Milo, maybe have Weiss as Kida. Imagine how embarrassed she'd be if I do the swimming scene: "Oh, I swim pretty girl- Pr-Pretty good! Pretty good! Good, swim good, pretty good. I swim pretty good." Ahh, I can already see the girl yelling at her other self to cover their body, hahaha!**

**Now that that's out of the way, enjoy the show!**

**Disclaimer in the prologue.**

As the screen was about to start up a large portal appeared overhead, dropping off another group.

And this group was noticeably large. Out of the portal, and landing in a comedic heap, were Kali & Ghira Belladonna, Willow & Whitley Schnee, Klein Sieben, two young girls, and lastly Maria Calavera who luckily landed on top of the pile with a laugh of joy.

As the group untangled from each other and looked around their new surroundings with awe and suspicion, Jack sighed in irritation at this. Grumbling, he paused the viewing and turned the lights back on. He looked at the two children who were looking around at all the cool weapons and lights with bemusement, 'Oh yeah, that's gonna go down _real_ well.'

Blake stood up along with Weiss and Winter as they saw their families there.

"M-Mom? D-Dad?" Blake was afraid. Afraid of what they'll think of her, afraid of seeing the disappointment in their eyes. 'It's what you deserve.' Her conscience said to her as her parents turned to her. Though that fear turned to confusion, then embarrassment.

Kali looked around, worried as to the hell just happened to them, when she heard the voice of someone she didn't expect to hear again for a long time. Quickly turning around, she saw the scared face of her baby girl. With tears brimming, she squealed and ran towards her whilst screaming "Kitten!" loudly, followed by giving her daughter a very tight hug.

The hug only got tighter when her husband joined in with a laugh of joy at seeing his precious little girl again.

Blake was surprised, 'Why are they hugging me? Shouldn't they be angry?' She felt the tears of her mother on her shirt, and felt even worse. 'I'm sorry.' Even though she was a bit embarrassed by their open affection, her partner snickering off to the side wasn't helping, she returned the family hug with gusto. Whispers of "I'm sorry" could be heard as the Belladonna family was reunited once more.

Meanwhile, Weiss and Winter went to their family.

The two noticed their brother frowning at them, while Willow was looking around for her bottle that she dropped as she fell into the portal in a daze.

"Good day, dear sisters." He says as he brushes off some imaginary dust from his vest. "May I ask why I have been summoned from my studies so rudely?"

The two sisters sighed as they still didn't like his attitude, but controlled themselves as they remembered the words from the letter Weiss received. 'Speaking of which...' Weiss thought as she looked to her mother who was walking towards some of the shelves.

"Go to her sister." Winter whispered, smiling as Weiss looked back in shock. "I will handle this, you go and help her." Weiss nodded and went to their mother. Winter then turned back to her annoyed younger brother, and began to explain the situation to him.

Weiss stopped behind her mother and said "Mother." Willow looked back, and she held out the vial. "Here you are, Mother. I managed to acquire your favorite brand." She didn't like lying to her mother like this, but given how intoxicated she looked, she felt that this was the fastest route to curing her.

If she was sober enough, the older woman would've doubted her daughter based on the small size of the 'bottle'; but she wasn't, so she didn't.

Without hesitation, and only giving a mumbled "Thank you", she took the vial and chugged the whole thing down. Immediately, the affects started to work. Her inebriated state was going away, and the damage done to her body from years of alcohol abuse was leaving her system. It took a few seconds, but eventually Willow Schnee was back to a healthy state of body and mind.

Looking down at herself, she was examining her movements with wonder as she felt newfound energy coursing through her. 'I haven't felt this fantastic in _years_.'

Weiss teared up at the miraculous recovery her mother had, and immediately hugged her in joy.

Willow still didn't know what was happening, or where this new power came from, but once she heard her younger daughter's soft cries, she forgot all about her confusion and hugged her back, soothing her little girl with kind whispers and gentle kisses to her brow.

the parents looked on the families with smiles, they didn't want to spoil this moment.

Sienna and Ilia wanted to talk with the founders of the White Fang, but they were content to wait.

Eve wanted to go over there and finally destroy the Schnees once and for all, hut held herself back as she knew that Jack's new servant would stop her. Susanoo looking directly at her and that smirk made her even more pissed.

Their friends were happy for Blake and Weiss; Ruby, Yang, and Nora even snuggled up to their own mothers as they watched the heartwarming sight.

Klein, after helping Maria find a seat, much to her amusement, was tearing up at finally seeing Willow showing love for her family once more.

The old woman didn't know what was happening, but having a kind gentleman wait on her felt nice. 'My old bones could get used to this.'

The new children were still looking around, not really caring for what was happening around them.

Whitley was looking at his eldest sister with some worry, wondering just what she was smoking as she explained their 'situation' to him. 'I fear her time in the military may have caused her mind to become... erratic.' He thinks as she finished. 'I think that she needs to unwind a bit, maybe find a nice man or something. _Clearly_, being alone and married to her work has had some adverse affects on her.'

Qrow didn't know why, but he felt like laughing at Winter.

Once everyone settled down a bit, Jack stood up and cleared his throat, earning everyone's attention.

"Ok," he said, addressing the new people, "I know that many of you new people are confused. Allow me to explain just where you are, and why you have been summoned."

(15 minutes later)

After explaining the situation and reasons for being there to them, and reassurances from the audience to back him up, the new people were floored. They looked around. A _Nexus_ of the _Multiverse_? A way to see multiple dimensions and futures? A prophecy directed on a young boy? That was awesome! At least, for the girls it was. The others were shocked that a mere _teenager_ was so special to the gods, that he had an entire nexus dedicated to himself. And that he attends the same school as their families.

Willow, Kali, Klein, and Ghira were actually quite proud that their daughters/charge are friends with someone so important.

Whitley was jealous that he didn't get the chance to introduce himself to him, and not at all too happy that his sister has such a powerful ally now. 'If he has an _ancient_ _prophecy_ dedicated to him, then he must be special. No doubt Father wishes to know about this.'

After giving them a few minutes to process this, Jack clapped his hands with a slight smirk, "Alright, now that that's over, why don't you guys introduce yourselves?"

Whitley scoffed at the man, "And why should I listen to you, _peasant_?" That last part earned many sweaty brows from some in the audience, while the White Fang members glared at the rudeness of this boy.

Jack narrowed his eyes at the rude kid, "Listen up, shit stain." The boy sputtered in indignation as a few of the immature people snickered or laughed. "The only reason why I'm letting that slide is because whoever grabbed you felt that you needed to be here. As for why: it's common curtesy, and I'm a god and can easily disintegrate you if you don't. Now I suggest you play nice because I will _not_ hesitate to _smear_ your dead carcass all over my nice clean floor." The guy may be pretty laid back most of the time, but he's still a god, and his kind have never been known to take personal slights lying down.

Whitley was angered by the man's words, and was about to retaliate, but his sisters immediately clapped their hands over his mouth and dragged him to a seat while profusely apologizing to Jack. The rest of the audience were pale as they shook in their seats in fear. Throughout Jack's little rant, a malevolent aura was seeping out of him and was felt by many.

Seeing this, he sighed and reigned in his aura. "Sorry about that. Now, to prove that I'm telling the truth, and because I'm such a _nice_ guy, allow me to perform a 'miracle'." He waved his hands a bit, looking a bit comical as a result, and suddenly Maria and Klein were engulfed in light. Once the glare died down, and everyone couldn't see spots anymore, they saw that the two were now much younger than before, about mid-twenties at best. They still wore the same clothes, but they had expanded to fit their younger selves.

Maria and Klein were examining their young bodies with awe. They then looked at each other, and couldn't stop the blush from forming. 'My word, her eyes are enchanting/Mama likes.'

Everyone else looked shocked. The Schnees were surprised to see their beloved butler look so young again, though the blush at seeing Maria made Willow and Weiss giggle a bit.

Qrow felt that he knew this woman from somewhere, but couldn't quite place it. (Remember, she doesn't have her mask, nor her original outfit)

Ozpin's eyes widened at seeing another silver eyed warrior, same with Summer as Ruby just looked confused. Salem though, narrowed her eyes.

After calming down from the spectacle, the new people began introducing themselves.

*Clears throat* "Hello everyone, my name is Ghira Belladonna, and this is my lovely wife Kali." Ghira introduced themselves first as they sat near their daughter, while Kali waved a hand at everyone with a happy smile as she snuggled Chibi Blake close to her chest.

'Oh Monty, she's _soooo_ cute!' Kali inwardly squealed as the tiny version of her daughter was struggling to breath from her snuggle of doom. Kali giggled as she hugged her tightly.

Ilia pouted as she missed her chance to play with her Chibi again while Sienna giggled at the sight. They were slightly worried as they saw the Chibi's face turning an unhealthy blue, and exhaled in relief when Ghira managed to take her away from his now pouting wife.

When he thought no one was looking, the bear of a man gushed at the relieved Chibi, showering her with love as he remembered when his baby girl was little.

Blake's eye twitched as she felt like she was being replaced with her Chibi version.

Willow, sitting next to her children stood up. "Good day everyone. My name is Willow Schnee." She waved her right hand as she sat next to her family. She smiled as she looked at everyone.

Her son stood up and bowed his head, still not liking his situation but decided to be courteous to the other guests as he was raised to be. "And I am Whitley Schnee."

Eve was just glaring at the Schnees sitting there, angry that she couldn't lay waste to their cursed line.

Maria chuckled a bit, and with the help of a rejuvenated Klein, got up and said, "Hey guys, I'm Maria Calavera." Qrow gaped and sputtered at the name, now recognizing his idol. She didn't notice Salem looking suspiciously at her as Klein helped her back to her seat. *Chuckle* "Well, well. Aren't you a nice, _strong_, young man." She grinned as he blushed.

Klein blushed a bit, and with an unconscious flexing of his younger pecks said "It is my pleasure, my lady. The name is Klein Sieben, at your _service_." He bowed at the waist as she sat back down and took her right hand, gently placed a kiss atop it. His actions earned some quiet giggles from the Schnee women as Maria grinned at his boldness.

Jack looked to the two girls, and said "You wanna introduce yourselves too?", earning the attention of everyone.

The slightly older looking one scoffed. She had long black hair done in a low ponytail and a pair of bangs framing her face, a slight pale complexion, and violet purple eyes. For clothes, she wore a long sleeves black battle kimono which reaches down to just below her knees; dark purple leather breastplate, vambraces, and greaves; black fingerless gloves and knee-high boots; and a katana strapped to her back. What caught the attention of many, especially the thieves, was the thin silver circlet with a small amethyst gem which matched her eyes in the middle placed gently on her head. The girl crossed her arms and looked to the other one.

The second girl had short but wild black hair, a darker complexion, and blue eyes. She wore a simple miko styled dress with a similar circlet but with a Citrine gem instead (1), but the white replaced with black, and boots instead of sandals. She also had a katana strapped to her back. What many noticed was the pair of cat ears sitting proudly atop her head as they wiggled in merriment.

The slightly younger girl placed a hand over her lips and giggled, the long sleeve of her dress covering the smile. "Come now, big sis. Where are your manners? We are guests here after all." She says, still covering her mouth with her sleeve but still being heard by everyone. She then removed her hand and placed it on her cheek, *Gasp*"What would papa and grandma say?"

The other girl grumbled and sighed. She bowed her head in defeat, "_Fine_." She growled and looked at the audience with a glare as she puffed her chest out a bit in pride. "I'm Robin Arc, 8 years old, daughter of Jaune and Raven Arc, and Princess of the Arcadian Empire." Robin rolled her eyes, asking "Happy now?" sarcastically to her sister.

The other girl giggled, "I am, thank you for asking." She turned to the stunned audience and bowed a bit in greeting. "And I'm Altani Khan, 8 years old, daughter of Jaune and Sienna Khan, and Princess of Menagerie." (2)

Everyone's jaws dropped. Yang looked at her new sister with shock and anger, feeling betrayed that her mom had apparently got it on with her friend. 'Ew, gross.' Now she felt a sick, getting thoughts of how she came to be trapped in her head.

Ruby was confused, tilting her head a bit. 'So, is Robin my sister or...?'

Coco looked at the clothes, and thought they looked good. "They definitely look like princesses." She whispered to Velvet who giggled a bit.

All of the White Fang members couldn't believe it.

Weiss and Winter were green in the cheeks as they felt like they were going to throw up, though they also felt a bit jealous.

Willow raised an eyebrow, wondering if the mothers were with them right now. 'Going by the love in their voices when speaking his name, this Jaune Arc is _obviously_ a better father than my useless husband. And knocking up two women in a similar time frame, I'm actually jealous.' Thinking of how Jacques failed as a father, and as a husband, she blushed a bit as she imagined how well this young man was in managing to satisfy two women. 'He must have amazing stamina.'

Nora laughed and raised her fist. "Go fearless leader, go bag those MILF's!" she shouted, much to Ren's and her parent's mortification as many turned to her with scandalous expressions.

Pyrrha was twitching a bit, knowing that there were even _more_ children of her love's that weren't hers. 'You've gotta be kidding me! Where's _my_ kid? Can't I ever catch a break?'

Most of the adults who knew Raven looked at the shocked woman with disgust.

Qrow and Ozpin felt like they were about to be sick. Summer and Glynda were disappointed in the woman for robbing the cradle.

Many of the male villains felt very inadequate right now. The only exception was Hazel who just smiled at the new children, their little conversation reminding him of the ones he had with Gretchen when they were at that age.

Emerald and Neo just hugged their children. Cinder though, felt her eye twitch. 'When is it going to be my turn? Where's _my_ children?'

Salem didn't care.

Terra and Saphron didn't really know what to feel. 'On the one hand, Jaune was an adult here, he's old enough to make his own decisions. On the other, these women look old enough to be his mothers.' Adrian looked at the new girls with fascination.

Tai felt a bit sad that Raven had moved on, but then hugged Summer close as she rubbed his back and whispered reassurances to him. 'She abandoned me, abandoned _us_.' He thought as he smiled at his wife. Bending down to her ear, he whispered "Fuck her, as long as I have my Sweet Rose and children in my life, I'm happy." His wife grinned and placed a chaste kiss on his lips.

Vernal was a bit upset that she apparently didn't hook up with Jaune in that future, but she was at least happy that he was part of the tribe. 'Or is the tribe part of the Arc Clan?' She wondered, thinking that either way, they'd be protected.

Raven was looking at her daughter and couldn't believe what she saw. '_This_ is my daughter?' She looked at her closely and could see the posture she held, could feel the power within her, and instantly Raven felt proud. 'She's _strong_.' She grinned at seeing her daughter glaring at everyone.

Sienna was stunned, 'That's my daughter? She the same age as the other one?' She blushed a bit as she thought of how that happened. She looked at her daughter, and couldn't help but smile a bit as she saw her little Faunus ears wiggle again. 'She's adorable.' Eve, Ilia, and even Velvet and Blake couldn't help but think the same.

Kali and Ghira were surprised that Sienna had managed to marry a Human, let alone had children with one. Though they felt that this would help with bridging the gap between their two peoples. 'Especially when they share a bed with another- wait a minute, what did she mean by _Princess_ of _Menagerie_?' They thought.

Whitley scoffed, "What rubbish. There are no princesses in Remnant anymore. You are delusional."

The new people didn't want to agree with the rude boy, but they couldn't fault him for his disbelief as there hasn't been a royal line since the Great War.

Those who knew better flinched as they remembered what they saw.

Robin and Altani glared at the little snot, preparing to strike him down for his insolence.

Before it could come to blows though, Jack stepped in. "Ok, that's enough. Look, you guys haven't seen that future. Trust me, what they're saying id the truth." He then spent several minutes explaining what the last viewing was about; and as he continued his tale, the more horrified the people became.

"And that's basically it." Jack finished, the new parents throwing up as they heard of their children being slaughtered like animals.

Klein cried as he heard his charges, and really like daughters to him, fall.

Willow and Whitley were horrified, clutching their daughters/sisters tightly as if they would disappear if they didn't.

Maria was deeply saddened by the actions of the Arcs, though she also understood why. She has been around for a long time, and has met many Arcs over the years to know how they think. She knows that they would only do something like this if they thought that they were in danger. 'The constant assassination attempts couldn't have helped.'

Ghira was enraged by this. After calming his devastated wife, and placing Chibi Blake near his seat, he expressed how much he wanted to make that boy pay for his actions.

Robin scoffed as her sister giggled, earning his attention. "Do you think this is funny, children?" He asks in a calm voice.

Robin smirked, "Oh yeah." she says, walking over to her mother with Altani doing the same. "There's no way you'd stand up against my dad." She stopped before her grinning mom, and glanced to the side and saw the Faunus glaring at her. She mockingly grinned, "He would tear you apart."

As he was about to say something, a heavy pressure suddenly filled the expanse. The increase in gravity caused him, and many others, to stumble as they tried to adjust to the pressure. The new people couldn't understand where this was coming from, but it felt like the gravity in the place had increased dramatically. The ones who felt it before could only brace against it. The pressure slowly lifted.

Seeing the man stumble, she chuckled as she reigned in her spiritual pressure. "Ya see?" She turned to face him as she raised her arms to either side with a condescending smirk on her face, "If you couldn't even stand up to _my_ power, restricted as it is, what makes you think you'll do much better against my dad?"

She then went to sit next to her mom. Raven was positively gushing at the power her little angel of death had unleashed. 'And she basically said she was holding back. She's _perfect_.' She smirked at her child, "I didn't know my child could be so powerful."

Robin smirked back as she hugged her, earning a return side hug from her mom and a glare of jealousy from her unknown half-sister. "Oh please," she whispered, "that was but a tiny drop in the lake. I'm _way_ stronger than that." She grinned as she looked up to see her mom give her a beaming smile filled with motherly pride.

Yang gritted her teeth, seeing that brat get what she always wanted when she was little. Though the small display of power she showed made her realize just how weak she is in comparison. 'Seriously, I'm twice her age!'

Altani meanwhile, walked up to Sienna and tilted her head a bit. Smiling at her mama, she looked at her with a shy demeanor, earning a small, if slightly worried, smile in return. "May I sit next to you, mama?"

Her cute and shy look made Sienna forget the power display from her daughter's sister, and she couldn't really refuse her daughter's request when she looked like that. Sienna nodded, earning a quick "Yay!" and Altani quickly sat next to her and snuggled her waist, purring a bit as she nuzzled her face close.

Sienna didn't know what to do here, but seeing her child acting so cute was too much. The purring didn't help her resist as she hugged her kitten close and hummed a little song to her.

The other people were either intrigued by the child's power, or downright terrified by it.

Cinder was pissed, believing that Robin should've been her child. 'That power belongs to my baby girl.' She really wants a daughter.

The students were terrified of the girl's power, and scared to ask just how strong the Jaune of that future was.

The new people were shaking at the display, not wanting to experience _that_ again.

Ozpin and Salem felt fear strike their hearts, but strangely a bit of pride as well. Same with Saphron, seeing her niece with love and a bit of fear.

Jack was glad that he managed to have Adrian immune to the effects of that display on time. 'Wouldn't want the little guy to be afraid of his cousins, now would we?'

The rest of Jaune's children feared their new 'sisters', even more so when Altani looked over to them with a confused expression. 'Why is she staring at us?!'

"Hey, sis." Altani said, getting a rude "What?" in return. "Do you feel that?"

Robin sighed, looking at the other girls with a slight glare as she _did_ sense something strange, and _familiar_. She sensed that it was coming from those girls. (3)

Jack coughed into his hand, getting everyone's attention. "Alright, so now that we're all caught up, let's continue, shall we?" Many nodded their heads, looking like bobbleheads as they did.

Taking a moment to see if any more unusual things would drop down on them, he lowered the lights and turned on the screen again.

**END**

**Hope that you enjoyed this interlude. Again, I do apologize, but with my hectic schedule I have a lot less time to write and I wanted to at least post _something_ this month. Plus, as I said before, all this was originally for the upcoming arc, but as you can see, it would take up a _lot_ of space. Hope you guys understand, and like the new additions to this fun trip.**

**1\. Citrine: a popular yellow gemstone. Named after the French word citron for lemon, this stone is known for its beautiful yellow-brown hue.**

**2\. Altani: A heroine of the Mongols, and the wife of Genghis Khan's adopted brother. Robin: A bird, _not_ the Robin from Batman. The reason for her yellow gem is because she has Jaune's eyes, and wanted something to remind her of her mother (you know, besides her little cat ears). I figured that Robin would want to have a similar style to her mother, especially with her katana. And the Miko dress for Altani makes sense to me since she's the Princess of a country that looks like it could be a territory of Japan.**

**3\. Yes, they now have Reiatsu. Why else do you think they held their heads after those girls made them glow? To get some new voices in their heads. If they were 'Canonized', then they would certainly get the power of their dad as well. If they didn't, then there wouldn't have been a reason for the pain.**


	20. Alice in Wonderland Pt 1

**Chapter 19: "Alice in Wonderland" Pt. 1**

**Oh man, so glad you guys enjoyed the interlude. I thought that I would have to worry about a mob coming to my house. Sorry for the long wait, school's pretty brutal right now. Anyway, here we are, the arc we've been waiting for. But first, Reviews!**

**Argus456: Happy to hear you were surprised by their little presentation, wouldn't want to get too predictable after all now would we. I just figured that since Ichigo has a son that's a Shinigami, I asked "Why not Jaune?" And when I thought of what Raven would do if someone disrespected her tribe, I just _knew_ that Robin would've been the most likely of the pair to 'flex' her power. I actually loved both those movies growing up. Treasure Planet huh? I agree that Jaune would make an excellent Jim, and Saphron could work. Qrow being Long John Silver is just brilliant! And Zwei as Morph is just adorable. Salem and Ozpin would work best as Captain Amelia and Doppler I think due to the baby girls (memory feels). Hazel or Winter for Mr. Arrow (I'd pick James, but I think everyone's getting tired of me killing him off), and Tyrian as Mr. Scroop works pretty well. Watts could be Captain Bones (squealer alert!). There aren't that many good guys in the movie, so I'll have to improvise here. I can't choose between Roman and Mercury as Captain Flint.**

**UnlawfulGentleman: Glad you enjoyed it. Yeah, I haven't seen any reactions with Willow either, which is a crying shame to me. Whitley was a challenge due to the his speech patterns, I can't replicate the high society talks all that well and it drove me up the wall at times. Salem as a chick he bangs... I can already see her feeling ill because of the wrongness of it all (even if she doesn't know why). Saphron would probably want to vomit, and Oz would feel oddly jealous. But I can't picture a scenario of the two of them going at it without it being one of those drunk fics (which I have something else planned for that).**

**the Composcreator: Sorry man, but Dogma is going to have to take a backseat for awhile. Still have Guardians, and Stargate to do, then I have to make the Marvel movies as well. I could probably fit it in-between Iron Man 1 & 2.**

**YiteWrite: I don't have Netflix, sorry. **

**Colvamoon999: I'm thinking of making a Starship Troopers, the main problem is that I don't have the time at the moment to do it. As you can see, it took me almost a month to update this story. My god, where did the time go? -_-'**

**X3runner: Happy that my depiction for him worked, didn't know if I nailed him right or not. And don't worry, Cinder's getting her chance soon, much sooner than Pyrrha anyway :)**

**warrior of six blades: Yeah, Weiss's little fib really worked out. I figured that trying to explain the true properties of the vial to her mom wouldn't work while she's wasted, so pretending that it was a drink instead would have a higher chance of success (I think her team is starting to affect her). Blake really needed this, the family reunion would certainly help with any residual guilt over her past mistakes. And Yang? Yeah, seeing someone else get the recognition, respect, and love from Raven that she always wanted would've had her flipping tables. The display of power stopped that, along with making her self-conscious to boot. Susanoo isn't going to play that much of a role for awhile since as you said, he hasn't needed to. His very presence would stop anyone from trying.**

**the konoha 2nd demon: Good, I always thought that those two deserved something nice for all the shit they had to go through. Klein with his taking care of the family for years as he watches it get dismantled before his eyes and later getting fired, and Maria actually losing her eyes.**

**JaCk-o'-LaNtErN 91: Well, For Klein, he's gonna get the love he deserves (quite frankly, he's one of my favorites and I felt Jacques firing him was a dick move). And Adam, 'Eve' now, well she's gonna see how Humans and Faunus _can_ coexist. Revenge of the Arcs and the new children proved it could be, and the evidence will only pile up as we move on. As for the others gaining powers, that's sort of impossible. You see, the only reason why Ichigo's friends (other than Uryu) gained their powers was because he never controlled the excess output of his own. It just naturally seeped out of him with no filter, and they simply absorbed it whenever he was in close proximity (which was almost everyday during school, and why people like Keigo had their own set). Their powers then manifested after their bodies absorbed enough energy to produce their own. For Jaune, his powers are firmly locked, and without a similar catalyst like dying or extreme emotional distress, it will remain that way. And if you think his children would have similar problems within the Nexus, think again. While strong, they don't have _nearly_ the same level of power, or problems with control, as their father did to trigger a manifestation in others, at least not without stabbing them Rukia style. They _may_ get some spiritual awareness after some time of seeing viewings that would make them pissed/upset enough to flair their power a bit, but not nearly enough to trigger anything beyond that. Gladiator: No. Troy: Yes. The first had some historical inaccuracies I wasn't happy with (no Roman Emperor wanted to change their Empire back into a Republic!); while the other was based on a war that may or may not have happened, there's really no way to dis/prove that it was accurate (except for the length of the conflict, but I'll let that one slide). I'm also thinking of 300, but mixing it with more historical facts thrown in (like them having _actual_ armor beyond leather underwear, they're _heavy_ _infantry_ for a reason****).**

**BlackPhantom247: Huh, you know, I was thinking the same thing for Whitmore, Audrey, and Mole. I think Oz's secretive nature makes sense (and having Ozpin accidentally flash Jaune would be hilarious); Ruby as Audrey, her mechanical skills does make the two like twins (and their sisters being boxing champions only adds to it); and I want to see Weiss punch Neptune when he whispers whatever he said in the movie. I was thinking Jacques as the King because I want the Schnee siblings to see a version of their father that's not a dick (although he _was_ the reason why Atlantis sunk in the first place, so maybe not). Vinny being Watts, I guess I can see that. I was also thinking of having Sweets be Yatsu because of his gentle nature. Rourk as Raven and Helga as Cinder (a parallel to what happened in canon).**

**Fmourajr: Already have a cast set for GotG: Jaune is Star Lord (obviously), Winter as Gamora (being the more successful sister), Weiss as Nebula (she always compared each other a lot early on in RWBY), Hazel as Drax (revenge clouding judgement shtick), Rocket is Rocket (would mess up my pick for when I do Avengers later on if I change anything, same with Groot), Qrow as Yondu & Roman as Kraglin (Branwen bandit + thief), Adam as Ronan, and Oobleck as The Collector (historian/collector of rare items). As for V2: ****Penny as Mantis (weird, quirky girls the both of them); can't reveal who else in there, would spoil some of the surprise, but I have made the necessary preparations for the cast. Thank you for the suggestions though, it should help me for when I have to change the lineup in Infinity War and Endgame. Never watched ****Scott Pilgrim vs The World, same with Sherlock and Daredevil; ****Shazam was so boring to watch for me, honestly slept through most of it, and that was in _theaters_; ****Jurassic World: maybe, I do like how you put Weiss and Jaune's roles;**** and I have someone helping me with ****Doctor Who.**

**HAIL KING DELIRIOUS: No, I meant the spy show Archer. I'm trying to make a reaction regarding the 'Lana's Baby Shower' episode.**

**Now that that's out of the way, onto the main event!**

**Disclaimer in the prologue.**

**The screen opens up to an overhead view of the Emerald Forest in the late afternoon. The majestic sight of the vast green land calming many in the audience. The view slowly zooms over to a small clearing, where something could be seen skirting around the edges.**

**A sudden closeup reveals it to be Jaune Arc, prowling through the woods, trying to get some solo training done.**

Seeing Jaune walking through the forest, unaffected by a 'betrayal' like in the last viewing, had his family, friends, teachers, and many of his children smiling with joy. As they watched him skulk around, they tried to forget what they experienced and just enjoyed the sight of the young man be innocent once more. 'Jaune.' A few even shed some tears as they watched.

Raven and Robin scoffed, not liking how much weaker this version of their future husband/dad was.

'Clearly, I need to acquire him and train him myself.' Raven thought, her mind drifting off as she imagined all of the things she could 'ask' to show his _appreciation_. A drop of blood leaked from her nose at some of more dirty thoughts. 'I know I have a whip somewhere in the Branwen armory.' She smirked while stealthily wiping the blood off.

Robin sighed as she looked at her mom's actions. 'Great, there she goes again. Thinking lewd thoughts about dad.' She looked back to the screen, and tried to repress all the times she accidentally walked in on them. 'Cuddling', her dad would say. She shivered as she tries to repress the images.

Saphron, while happy for seeing her baby brother acting normal again, was worried. As he's 'prowling', she notices that he's all alone out there without his team.

The teachers were starting to get worried after the happiness wore off, wondering the same thoughts as Saphron. "Why he was alone out there with no backup?" Winter asked softly, but was still heard. The students were now looking worried as well.

Ghira glared at the boy, wanting so desperately to go over and crack his head open, but he held back as he still remembered how he was almost brought to his knees by that child's 'small' display.

Sienna meanwhile didn't know what to make of this. She was still a bit embarrassed by her possible future. However, seeing this version of the boy did make her smile a bit, the innocence of his youth showing in his movements. Though she did notice something off about him. Her daughter noticed too, narrowing her eyes and trying to see what it was. 'My child, already so observant at such a young age.' She giggled a bit; she couldn't help it though, the thought of her child, _her_ child, made her feel giddy. She then looked back to the screen.

Altani frowned a bit, "Why does he look so sad?" The others started to see it as well and were wondering why he decided to go to the forest alone to train if he was emitting such negative emotions so openly.

**He went to train alone because he felt that he needed to get some space after his recent failed attempt at wooing Weiss.**

At that, Weiss flinched, remembering her last interaction with the young man before they were all summoned here. "Oh." She wanted to apologize to the blond goof even more now, but didn't know where to start.

Winter raised an eyebrow, feeling that she should have a word with her dear sister after this for some reason. The slight glares at Weiss from the boy's team, and her flinch earlier, only reaffirmed this.

***Sigh*'I just don't get it. I only want her to be happy.' he thought sadly as he struggled to concentrate.**

Willow sighed a bit, thinking of her own marriage with Jacques, and wishing that she met someone with a kind heart like the young man.

**He knew many men only went after her for her money or family name. Or to brag to their friends about bedding an heiress.**

Many of the females scowled at this, the younger ones wanting to beat the shit out of those animals for trying to harm their friend while the older ones thinking of brutal ways to torture the vile men.

Willow and Winter hugged Wiess as she looked down with tears in her eyes. They knew how difficult it was for her growing up, her father not being any help as usual, instead actually _encouraging_ this behavior to gain stronger connections for the SDC.

Whitley looked down, he wanted to say something, but didn't know where to start.

**But he was not _those_ men.**

**He didn't even _know_ about her heritage before, it had to be explained to him by his partner _after_ initiation had already finished!**

Weiss's eyes widened as she looked back to the screen. 'He didn't even know?' She always thought that the reason for his attempts at courting her was a bid for her title as a Schnee.

Winter raised her eyebrows at this, "What? Was he living under a rock this whole time?"

Pyrrha turned to her and shook her head, "Nope, he's just never watched much news that has a person's fame." She said as the Schnees turned to her. She smiled happily at the family, "He didn't even know who I was, and I'm from the same Kingdom as him."

Saphron nodded, "That's true. He, like many Arcs, never really cared for such trivial things. We always preferred to see what a person is like for ourselves, instead of being told to us from biased sources." 'It doesn't hurt that we're also wealthier than any company or Kingdom, so it's not like someone's personal fame or wealth ever really mattered to us.'(1)

The Schnees were shocked, as were many of the others, but several smiled at this, happy that he didn't view anyone based on other's views.

Willow smiled a bit as she returned her attention to the screen, already thinking of ways to snatch the boy up. 'How refreshing would it be having him at our home. Perhaps he could help bring us out of our dull, cold lives.' She took a glance at her astonished daughters as her mind began to scheme. 'Maybe, with some _help_.'

**Even after being explained that, it never changed his view of her. He never looked to her for her fame or power. No, nothing that shallow had ever entered his mind. What he saw instead had always brought a warm feeling in his heart. He saw a beautiful young woman trying her best to be a Huntress and Defender of Remnant; and when his partner explained who she was, a woman who wanted to break free of the mold that her family's upbringing had forced upon her.**

**Why else would she choose to attend Beacon, all the way in Vale instead of the comfort of Atlas and her family's influence?**

Weiss blushed, his unfiltered thoughts about her bringing a warm feeling in her chest. But also a great pain. 'He never saw me as just an heiress, but Weiss.' For years, all she wanted besides helping people was to have someone who would look at her with genuine affection, to be held and told she was truly loved. "_And yet you tossed your chance away time after time._" A voice from deep inside told her, causing her to flinch.

**And as the semester continued, the more he fell in love with her more. 'I thought that if she knew of at least one person who loved her for WHO she _is_, rather than WHAT she _was_, then maybe the woman she wants to be would be one step closer to breaking free.'**

"_You see? You don't deserve his forgiveness, let alone his __love_." The voice whispered, the truth in those words almost brought her to tears. 'Is it true? Did I really lose my chance?'

**He shakes his head, remembering her latest harsh denial. *Sigh* "I guess that person isn't me."**

Her eyes widened. "No..." She whispered, hoping that this wasn't true.

**He sighed again, wishing that he was wrong, but in his heart he knew the truth. She would never love him, and he should just let her go. No matter how much it hurt, for her sake he will promise to stop pursuing her after he returns to Beacon.**

She bit back a sob as she knew that her chance was lost. 'I truly am the loneliest of all.' She looked down to her shaking hands, 'And I have no one to blame but myself.'

Ruby and Pyrrha saw this, and while they did take a certain amount of pleasure at having Jaune let go of his love for Weiss, seeing her in pain hurt and made them reach out to hold the distraught young woman. They were joined by the rest of their friends.

Winter and Willow had tears in their eyes, seeing such an innocent love for a member of their family lost. Whitley glanced at his sister finally breaking down, and looked back at the screen with a glare, wanting to go over there and give that brute a piece of his mind for making his sister so upset.

the teachers were sad to see the young man look so upset. "He's letting her go. He wants her to be happy." Oz said softly with sadness, his friends nodding even if they didn't want to.

"He's letting her go because he truly loves her. He wants her to be happy but thinks that he's not the one to do so." Summer whispered as Tai and Qrow wrapped her up in a hug. Odin and Ghira holding their own wives as they both came to the same understanding.

Maria sighed at this as Klein tries to offer comfort, causing her to smile a bit as thanks.

Ilia teared up a bit as she heard his promise. 'That's true love right there. A shame that it was wasted on Schnee.'

Eve, Raven and Vernal crossed their arms, trying to project a feeling of uncaring. That image shattered a bit with the latter two as their daughters started hugging them for comfort.

Saphron sighed a bit as she looked at her brother with sadness. Her wife hugging her as Adrian tried his best to cheer them back up.

Watts, Roman, and Mercury didn't really care.

Tyrian wanted to gut the girl for making _his_ boy sad. 'I'll make sure to paint that boring white dress a _lovely_ shade of red.'

Hazel sighed, wanting to hold his sister again.

Emerald, Neo, and secretly Salem were wiping their tears with tissues that they silently wished.

Cinder didn't care as well. 'Do _not_ betray me, eyes.'

Jaune's children wanted to hug their daddy, with the new additions wanting to slice the Schnee girl to ribbons.

**As he was lamenting his decision, he noticed that he hadn't come across a single Grimm yet, despite how much of a beacon his negative emotions were to them. As he entered the clearing, he and the audience sees a Beowolf pack moving to a large tree in the center. Knowing that he hadn't been noticed yet, he falls back and hides behind one of the outlying trees and assess the situation like Pyrrha taught him to.**

**'I count 15 Grimm, but only the small fries.' He thought, 'Where's the Alpha?' It's odd that he can see such a large pack of the Grimm, but not its leader. After looking around and seeing nothing else, he takes a deep breath to calm down and relax, never taking his eyes off the enemy.**

Said Spartan nods as their friends look at the situation he found himself in with worry. They all knew that they could each take on those numbers easily, but he had very little training compared to them. He might not be able to take them all on alone.

NPR were cursing themselves for not being there with him.

The other heroes were concerned as well, desperately wanting to go over there and help.

Saphron held her breath, too scared for the safety of her baby brother to look away.

**'Ok, I got this. It's only 15, there's no-' before he could finish his thought, he heard a cry. Growing up with 7 sisters, two of which toddlers, he recognized the sound.**

**His blood ran cold when the sound of a baby's fearful cry was heard.**

Many gasped in horror.

Maria was the first to rise up in alarm "Why is there a BABY there?!"

She was the first to stand, but wasn't the last as the other students and adults stood up. The students were panicking about a baby being all alone and surrounded by the dark creatures, while the parents were cursing the child's parents for abandoning their child in a Grimm-infested forest.

**The cry seemed to have excited the Grimm, and they prowled ever closer to the tree, snarling and salivating over the thought of warm tender flesh.**

The heroes were horrified, desperately wishing to go over there and save that child.

Salem was also starting to get worried, thoughts of her daughters in that child's place had her start breathing a bit heavier.

**Jaune, realizing that that's where the cries were originating from, doesn't waste any time and rushes out of his cover, bellowing an angry roar to get the attention of the creatures away from the infant and towards himself.**

"What is that idiot doing?!" Weiss shouted as the many of their friends stood up in shock and horror.

**All the Grimm stopped and turned to the boy running towards them, but before they could do anything, he was already at their ranks, slicing through the necks of the three closest ones with a quick twirl of his body as he jumped in the air, shocking his friends.**

"Woah/Holy shit." Ruby and Yang said as they witnessed his quick attacks.

Nora leaned towards a shocked Pyrrha, "Did you teach him that?" The redhead shook her head as they continued to watch.

**He didn't know what came over him. All he knew was that before he moved, he had thoughts of his baby sisters, and he suddenly became enraged.**

Saphron nodded, "Yeah, that'll do it." Earning a few stares. She noticed this and explained. "Jaune was always overprotective of our baby sisters, always going out of his way to protect them."

Yang smiled a bit, 'Heh, he and I are a lot alike. Doing whatever it takes to protect our baby sisters.' That thought made her hug Ruby close, despite her protests of letting her go.

**Overlapping the baby's cries with that of his siblings, he became a beast. His eyes turned from the kind sapphires that everyone who knew him was, to cold chips of ice.**

Those eyes brought shivers up the spines of many in the audience. Many out of fear, but a few in lust.

No one had stopped to notice how the color of his irises were starting to turn yellow, nor how the sclera were slowly bleeding black at the far edges.

**Using his training from Pyrrha, he spun in a circle again, cutting off the arm of one Grimm, while shield bashing another who was trying to flank him in the face. He jumped up and decapitated the stunned creature, before being tackled to the ground by another two.**

**That didn't stop him, with his rage giving him strength like a certain blond dragon, he lifted the Grimm off him and threw them to opposite sides. Then, grabbing the one on the left by the tail and using its body as a makeshift club, he got up and flipped it over his head and smashed its mask covered skull into its brother on the right, snapping both of their necks.**

The students were slack jawed. They never saw him acting so viciously before.

That stunned disbelief was shattered by Nora laughing loudly and shouting "Woooo! Go Fearless Leader! Break their legs!" Turning to Ren, she asked "Come on Renny, why aren't you cheering for Jaune-Jaune?"

Her friends heard her, and soon joined her in cheering as well.

The teachers didn't partake, but were happy nonetheless that the young Arc was trying to save that poor soul.

**After that, he heard another cry from the child in the tree, pissing him off even more. He was still thinking that it was his sisters in danger. He rushes to the tree as fast as he could, surprising a lot with his remarkable speed, while slicing through another four. Two were bisected through the chest, another had its neck sliced open, and the last had its jaw cutoff. He turns around and sees that of the original 15 Grimm, only 5 left remained.**

Pyrrha was blushing from the sudden praise her friends were heaping upon her, thinking 'I'm glad to see my training proving results, but he's going to be exhausted soon if he continues to use more of those moves.'

Glynda meanwhile was speechless. She knew that the young Arc wasn't properly trained before, the admittance of his faked transcripts being more than proof enough, but to see him demolish the Grimm with his limited experience in such a quick manner was mindboggling. Looking to the side she saw Ozpin just looking at the screen with a smug expression clear through his fake beard. 'Seriously, the wizard look needs to go now. It isn't funny anymore.'

Salem was also strangely proud of this. She had her eyebrow raised as she thought of reasons for this feeling as she watched this boy lay waste to her creatures.

Some of the older Huntsmen were getting as worried as Pyrrha however. Seeing him destroy those monsters were all well and good, but the boy was no doubt burning through his stamina, especially with his rage clouding his judgement and making any conservation impossible.

**However, his new blood rage was starting to catch up to him. He began to pant, showing how exhausted he was becoming, not used to unleashing this level of strength onto these poor fools.**

**He turns his head a bit, still not willing to take his attention completely away from his enemies but curious on what he was fighting so hard for, and under the tree's shade, he sees a small basket, and in that basket he sees a baby with light skin and long blond hair showing it as female, whimpering in fear with her eyes closed.**

**A pair of cat ears on top of her head as she was wrapped up in a little blankie.**

The sight of the Faunus child had many of the Faunus in the room up in arms. Those like Sienna and Ilia were worried that Jaune would leave the child behind, fearing him to be like so many racist humans.

**He was shocked, what was a baby Faunus doing here all alone in the middle of a Grimm infested forest?!**

**The snap of a discarded branch brought him back to the situation at hand. He goes back to watching the Grimm, but saw that the battle had attracted some attention. Four new beowolves and a pair of Ursa had shown up, attracted to the negative emotions they felt coming from the young Arc scion and the infant. "Because of course they did."**

**Now he had two choices, he could either stay and try to save the Faunus, or he could run away, leaving the baby to her fate.**

Many who didn't know the boy grew frightened for the child. They hoped that he would try and save her.

Eve leaned forward, knowing that the boy would abandon the girl to save his own hide, but was hoping that he would at least take mercy on her and give the child a painless death. 'Now you will see just how wretched these humans truly are Blake.' She thought as she glanced over to the younger Faunus.

**He glanced at the frightened child and takes a deep breath. He raises his sword and shield in a ready position, choosing the former. 'I am a huntsman damnit, and I am not going to leave an innocent baby to die, Human or Faunus!'**

Hearing his conviction at protecting the child, the Faunus all breathed a sigh of relief. While Blake and Velvet knew that he would never choose to leave the little one behind, it still felt nice to have their faith in their friend rewarded. 'It's surprising to see a human protecting a Faunus like this. I'm proud of you Jaune.'

Eve meanwhile was shocked. She knew from the last viewing that the Arcs were not racist like the rest of the humans, but even so she still thought that the boy would surely leave. A small blush came to her as se watched the young man ready himself to sacrifice his life for the Faunus kitten. "Such an honorable man." She whispers.

Sienna felt her heart racing as his choice was made. 'Is this the man I fell in love with?' Seeing him ready himself, she felt like he would be a good pick.

The Huntsmen cheered Jaune on as he prepared to fight the Grimm off. This is what they trained themselves for, what they were prepared to die for. "Go Jaune! You _are_ a Huntsman, protect the innocent with your last breath!"

**He roared at them, keeping his position so that they would not go around him and reach his charge. The hoard roared as well and charged at him. A closeup to Jaune's face reveals a determined expression, eyes usually a calm sky-blue now hardened to sharp sapphires, glaring at the beasts wishing to harm them.**

Ghira and Kali smiled as they watched a human willing to help their kind.

Those with crushes blushed at seeing the resolve in his face.

His family and children held their heads up with pride.

His teachers smiled in respect of seeing their student risk it all like a true Huntsman would.

His friends wished to join him in battle and share in his struggles.

**He breathes in slowly, calming his rapidly beating heart. He glanced back at the baby, not feeling one bit afraid. "If I'm going to die today, then I will die saving an innocent soul." Those words brought a small smile to his face. 'I will die a hero.' He looks forward again, staring at the horde without fear, and roars one last time. The screen then cuts to black as the sounds of battle commenced.**

The heroes all held their breaths, hoping that he makes it through this alive.

**The blackened screen opens to an overhead view of the Emerald Forest, the day slowly turning into night. It cuts to the same clearing as before, many anxious of what they'll see, and shows a clearing full of the decaying bodies of the creatures of Grimm, their ashes slowly rising.**

**It cuts to Jaune, lying on the ground face up, eyes closed and breathing softly, tired but still alive. He laughs a bit, surprised but proud that he survived.**

The heroes all cheered. He made it, he was alive!

Many hugged each other in celebration, laughing as they felt the tension leaving their bodies.

**Remembering that there was someone he needed to check up on, he slowly gets up, much to his body's protests, and makes his way to the small basket.**

**The baby was awake, whimpering, but with her eyes now open, bright green orbs looking around franticly in her limited view of vision. She was scared, but confused as to why the bad monsters weren't around anymore. She then saw a big person coming closer, the same one who stopped the scary monsters from coming closer. And despite him being a complete stranger, his presence was soothing to her eyes. So much so, that she began to giggle at his tired sight.**

Seeing the danger pass, the mothers couldn't help but look at the cute child and "Awe" at the sight. Many wanted to cuddle the poor dear and show that she was truly safe.

**Once Jaune got close enough for the child to see him, the little girl started to giggle, bringing a smile to his tired face. He crouched down, after sheathing his weapon back on his hip of course, and hesitantly reached a hand towards her.**

**Seeing the hesitation, she frowned and reached with both her tiny arms forward. She didn't want the nice man to go, his smile made her happy.**

The cuteness that the little girl was unleashing had the younger women squeal. Even Cinder and Eve couldn't help but do the same, at least in their heads as they had an image to keep.

**Jaune was surprised that the child was reaching for him, he thought that she would be afraid of a stranger getting so close, especially after the traumatic experience of the Grimm almost gobbling her up. As his large hand got closer, it was grasped by the tiny ones of the little girl, and with all her strength, she pulled her savior closer to her.**

**He felt the pull, so he let it happen. He didn't want to upset her now. Then, once he got close enough, he began to softly stroke her left cheek just like he used to do for his baby sisters. Her purrs and smile of content brought another, bigger smile to him. "Aren't you just an adorable little one."**

Kali giggled, remembering how Blake always used to do that whenever she scratched her little kitten ears. She sighed, 'I miss those times.' She glanced at her daughter, and by the embarrassed blush on her face, she knew that she was thinking the same thing.

**In a brave move, he stopped stroking her cheek, causing her to stop her purrs and look at him. When he removed his hand, she became sad with tears starting to well up. But he quickly brought his other hand to slowly pick her up, her sadness replaced with confusion but also happiness.**

**He rose up and brought her close to his chest, cradling her closely while keeping her wrapped in her blankie as if she was his own, and gently rocking back and forth like he did with his baby family members. His armor kind of hampered the experience a bit, but it looks like she doesn't care, bringing her hands to place them up his chest piece, smiling up at him before the gentle movements caused her to slowly close her eyes, his gentle face being the last she saw before sleep claimed her.**

Seeing him cradling the little girl had his children all huffing a bit in slight jealousy.

The women all cooed at the sweet sight. Many of the women smiling at the young man rocking the child.

Summer, Kali, and Frigga all rested their heads on their husbands' shoulders as they smiled at the screen.

**'She's so beautiful. I guess the excitement of the past few hours really tuckered her out.' He thought, "I wonder what your name is, little one" he whispered softly to her, not wanting to wake her up.**

**He looks inside the basket, wanting to see if anything else was in there, and saw a small letter that he didn't notice there before at the foot of the basket. Adjusting his hold a bit so that he was cradling the baby with his left arm, he crouched again and picked up the letter. Looping his right arm around the handle of the basket, after placing the child back inside, he opened the letter and saw a piece of paper along with a credit card. Getting the paper out first, he began to read.**

_**To Whomsoever reads this,**_

_**First, please, don't think too poorly of us. I would never abandon our little baby girl, she is our world. However, we are currently being pursued by the Grimm, my husband is currently fighting them off, but I don't know for how long. The Alpha had injured him so he isn't fighting at full strength, but it paid for that with its life.**_

**'I guess I know what happened to their leader now.'**

Those who spoke badly to the parents felt like shit.

_**I had wished to see my kitten grow up, watch her become the woman I know she can be. Please, I beg of you, look out for her. Raise her, give her a family.**_

**There were some dark marks on this part, showing that she was crying when she wrote this.**

_**Oh, I guess I didn't give you her name, silly me. Her name is Alice. I know that she is a Faunus. I pray that you can look past that, she is only a baby after all and doesn't deserve the persecution. I can hear the roars coming close, I fear that my love has fallen. I will place my child in this basket along with this letter and a credit card to our accounts so that she would hopefully be properly cared for. Please use this to raise her. And to my baby girl. We love you so much, never forget that ok, your mommy and daddy loves you. The roars are getting closer. I will distract the creatures away from you, I can only pray that this works. I will join you soon, my love. Thank you, stranger, for taking care of my little bundle of joy, may Monty smile upon you.**_

_**With love to my precious kitten and gratitude to her savior, Lorina and Henry Liddell.**_**(2****)**

The words from the letter reduced many to tears. Many cursed the Grimm for destroying yet another family, while offering a prayer to the dearly departed.

**The love packed into those words brought tears to his eyes. He carefully placed the paper back inside the envelope along with the card. He then glanced at the napping child before looking at the darkening sky, worried over what he should do. 'I am only a teenager. Worse, I'm a teenager with major responsibilities. I can't look after this child. She deserves better.'**

Many nodded, the parents knowing how difficult it is raising a child.

**He then looks back to the sleeping angel, and the resolve that he felt when protecting her came back with a vengeance. "No" he whispers, determination clear in his voice. "Miss Lorina wished for me to protect her, and I will not let my insecurities place her child at risk." He began the long walk back to the academy. "I promise you, I will look after Alice in your stead." Here he stopped and looked back up to the stars that are beginning to show in the sky, "And an Arc NEVER goes back on their word."**

His friends smiled at this. They knew with that, the little girl, Alice, would be well looked after.

Glynda wanted to object, but she really didn't want the child to go to an orphanage and potentially have the funds her parents had left for her to be taken away.

**Looking back up at the sky, Jaune sighed as he saw that night was rapidly approaching, and he really didn't want to go walking in the forest at night. So instead, he went back to the tree he found Alice in and began to climb.**

**It was difficult, trying to climb a tree and balancing a basket at the same time, but eventually he made it to the top of the tree. Of course, his luck decided to run out, and Alice woke up from the noise. She began to whimper as she woke up, scaring Jaune as he tried to think of a way to calm her down. Remembering a way, he set down the basket on top of some hard branches and quickly fished out his scroll. Opening up his apps, he found what he was looking for.**

"What's he planning to do?" Yang asked, only for Nora to gasp in excitement, earning the attention of many of her friends.

**Finding what he was searching for, he pressed a few buttons and went back to the now softly crying girl.**

"Um, Nora?" Ruby asked as she watched the hyperactive devourer of pancakes bouncing in her seat in joy, "You're kinda freaking me out, wanna tell us what's up?"

Nora looked at the young leader with a large smile, and with barely suppressed excitement, she calmly said "He's gonna sing, Ruby."

The answer had many bewildered, though they supposed it makes sense. After all, what calms down a destressed baby more than a good song?

Those who remembered him singing to Weiss felt that the girl is gonna have even more reason to cry, and prepared to plug their ears for the eventual pain.

**( Play "ushag veg ruy" [link to the particular singer as there are many, and lyrics, down in the bottom])**

**A soft song began to play from his scroll as he took Alice from her basket and began rocking her gently back and forth. Then, he began to sing.**

_**Ushag veg ruy ny moanee doo**_

_**Moanee doo, moanee doo**_

_**Ushag veg ruy ny moanee doo**_

_**C'raad chaddil oo riyr 'syn oie?**_

**Hearing the big man singing had Alice stop crying and listen. The lyrics and the gentle movements had her beginning to feel at peace once more.**

The song surprised everyone. Few could actually understand what he was singing, in fact only Saphron, Ozpin, and Salem could; but the lyrics had this soothing rhythm that had many close their eyes and let the song lift them away.

Team RWBY was shocked. They remembered how much he stunk when he sung in an effort to serenade Weiss for the dance later, so they expected him to butcher any song he was going to sing to Alice. Hearing him sing so beautifully caught them completely off guard.

Nora was beaming with joy at the song, snuggling to her partner as she settled for a well-deserved nap. Many of her friends doing the same.

_**Nagh chaddil mish riyr er baare y crouw**_

_**Baare y crouw, baare y crouw**_

_**Lesh fliaghey tuittym er dagh cheu**_

_**As ogh! My chadley cha treih**_

Winter and Willow felt at peace hearing the young man singing. It was different from the operas that they were forced to listen to when they were at Atlas, like a sort of magical feeling washing over them, letting all their worries just melt away. They blushed a bit as they closed their eyes so to remember this. Whitley felt the same way, feeling a bit jealous over how someone was being sung such a beautiful lullaby.

_**Nagh chaddil mish riyr er baare y dress**_

_**Baare y dress, baare y dress**_

_**Tra va'n gheay sheidey v'ey gymmyrkey lhee**_

_**As ogh! My chadley cha treih**_

**The song was so soothing to her little ears, and the music from the weird glowing thing made the man's words all the more enchanting.**

Many began to feel sleepy as well, the song's melody seeming to cast a spell on them. The children all clung to their mommas as they struggled to stay awake and hear more.

The adults felt like everything wrong with their world just drifted away, letting have a feeling of peace. The parents snuggling close, while the teachers settled into their seats to be more comfortable.

All of the pets cuddled up close to their owners as they were swayed by the melody.

Even the villains couldn't stop this wave of relaxing energy from settling on their shoulders.

_**Nagh chaddil mish riyr er baare y tonn**_

_**Baare y tonn, baare y tonn**_

_**Myr shimmey mac dooinney cadley roym**_

_**As ogh! My chadley cha treih**_

**Alice was so close to achieving the rest she deserved. In an effort to get more warmth from the nice man, she snuggled closer to his chest while smiling as a weird but warm feeling wrapped around her like a blanket. In her heart, she knew that this man would always protect her. With that feeling, she finally succumbed to sleep.**

The audience did the same.

_**Chaddil mish riyr eddyr daa ghuillag**_

_**Eddyr daa ghuillag, eddyr daa ghuillag**_

_**Myr cadley yn oikan er keeagh y vummig**_

_**As O! my chadley cha kiune**_

**END**

**Haha! Bet you guys didn't see that coming. Seriously, this is supposed to be a possible future scenario, of course I wouldn't have them see Jaune fall down a rabbit hole. How would I explain that much weirdness? And how could anyone see his kindness otherwise? Don't take my titles too literally XD**

**Translation: "Little Red Bird".**

**Little red bird of the black peat ground**

**Black peat ground, black peat ground**

**Little red bird of the black peat ground**

**Where did you sleep last night?**

**Did I not sleep last night on the top of the bush**

**On the top of the bush, on the top of the bush**

**With rain falling on every side**

**And oh! wretched was my sleep**

**Did I not sleep last night on the top of the briar...**

**While the wind was blowing all around**

**And oh! wretched was my sleep**

**Did I not sleep last night on top of the wave…**

**Where many a man's son slept before me**

**And oh! wretched was my sleep**

**I slept last night between two leaves…**

**As the baby sleeps on the breast of the mother**

**And oh! my sleep was good!**

**The song is an old Celtic one from the time before France. Since I needed a song from an old age****, and Jaune's name and inspiration is from France, I felt that it was appropriate. Now keep in mind, the song had a lot of rewrites to it, so the lyrics will no doubt be a bit off. There were 4 that I found that had the lyrics moved around, and another 3 that had the words spelt differently, I did what I could with what I had. Now the link doesn't have the full song, but it's more of a way to show how I wanted Jaune to sing to Alice, and hopefully how some of the words would be pronounced. As I pointed out, there are a _ton_ of different ways to sing this. www. youtube watch ? v = mhCPCrOqG8Q  
**

**1\. With the Arc Clan being as old and successful as I'm claiming them to be, it would only be natural for them to have constantly accumulated a vast fortune over the millennia.**

**2\. Lorina and Henry Liddell: mom and dad to Alice Liddell, whose name was the inspiration for the girl in 'Alice in Wonderland'.**


	21. Alice in Wonderland Pt 2

**Chapter 20: "Alice in Wonderland" Pt. 2**

**So many positive reviews all around! Over 1,000 favs & reviews, and 500,000 views now! This is awesome! Glad that you guys loved the song at the end. Didn't know whether or not it would be good, glad to know that you all approved. Now then, reviews Ho!**

**PolishFreelancer115: Glad you liked my choice. As for the yellow eye bit, sort of. It's more of a shoutout to the Sith rather than a reference. It was more to show the power of his inner hollow that he unconsciously tapped. Remember, his yellow eyes were surrounded by the blackness, hinting at the power of the hollow within showing a bit.**

**warrior of six blades: I'm happy you liked lullaby. As for Jaune's true feelings showing through, I wanted to show the audience how he though he truly cared for Weiss, he was willing to let it go for her happiness. Even if it only served to break her own heart unknowingly. Can't catch a break can he?**

**Argus456: I always planned for Jaune to find Alice. Yeah, he does has some experience with babysitting, but you're right, he needs help. Family's a smart choice, but it would take them a few days to head to Beacon. So until then, he's sort of stuck with what he's got. I also found it hilarious how everyone just assumed that this would be an Alice in Wonderland crossover chapter. How? I specifically put that this would be a future scenario, and I'm absolutely positive that Alice from the movie had taken some 'shrooms from the forest before falling asleep. Imagination can run wild, sure, but how does imagination alone explain all that crap going on? I'm not sure if Jaune ever did drugs, but he sure as hell doesn't here. Aside from his teammates finding out and reporting it, the professors wouldn't be so forgiving if they saw one of their students high off their ass. I could've had the chapter worded differently I suppose, but I'd run into similar problems. "Papa Jaune"? Someone already made a story with the name, and I didn't want people to assume it was a reaction of that. Anything else that had Dad/Papa/etc. would just be too on the nose so I didn't bother with that. So, here we all are, Jaune as a dad, and Alice heading to an uncertain future. Pray that Nora doesn't do something too bad... They're doomed.**

**X3runner: That does sound funny. Though I'm trying to work another angle with Whitley. No spoilers, but this chapter should hint at what I'm trying to do, if not beat everyone with a stick at what my plan is.**

**gorillageek: What's 'under the red**** hood'? I'm serious. I have no idea what that is.**

**Azrael Zero: Thank you for the continued support. Though I haven't had much thought into those universes. Perhaps later on when I'm finished with Guardians.**

**Redgrave Antony: Uhh... you do know that this is a story centered around him, right? If you hate Jaune so much, why are you even reading this? I agree that with alternate universes, having them falling in love with different versions of Jaune is wrong, and to be honest unfair to the women in question. But that's why I had them mixed with future scenarios to balance them out. They're to show what the future, _they're_ future, can become. They are not _just_ crushing on a different version of Jaune from a separate life, they're crushing on ****_their_ version of Jaune in _their_ life. What they see with the purple orbs _can_ actually happen (which means that Alice _does_ in fact exist here, and if Jaune didn't choose to go train alone, she'd be dead, and no one would know). That's also why they're reacting as they are. They are seeing the future, of course they would be heavily invested in this. As for the Gods, well why do you think I had the holiday chapter made in the first place? Sure, it was festive and all, but I had another reason for it. I knew that the Brothers were assholes for what they did when Salem's past was revealed, and I also knew from the beginning that people would be suspicious of the motives of some god they never heard of before (it's happened so many times in other react fics, not just RWBY ones). So I had the raffle done in order to lower said suspicions, showing everyone that not all gods are jerks. Having their daughters be with them, if even for a short time, helped immensely with that (I originally planned to bring them at a later date, but someone else took the initiative). If I wanted to make a holiday themed chapter, I could've just posted the Family Guy 'North Pole' special like I originally planned and save myself the work. Oma was always meant to be their daughter, the addition of 3 more didn't matter to me. I wanted Salem and Ozma to watch as Oma (name similarities for the win!) helping her children, their grandchildren, ascend; finding out that they aren't as alone as they thought as we continue. I can't help the Glynda situation, it is what it is with most people, myself included. As for the leader thing, well I thought he did well in Vol 4 when he was forced to lead. I thought that if he had the proper experience, then he'd be even better. Lastly, he's a teenager. Of course he wouldn't admit to it. I _know_ I wouldn't at that age, so why would I look down on him for doing the same? It's a rather human thing to do, not admitting to such huge mistakes/problems. Does that excuse him? No. But we should also know that not many people would admit to it either.**

**andres888: I had no idea who that was, thought it was some other author, so I googled it. Imagine my surprise when I found out it was a game, hahaha XD**

**UnlawfulGentleman: Nope, just a calming universe. The cooldown was what I was aiming for, glad you picked that up. I also felt that the audience needed the break, what with the last viewing, so I had them falling asleep too. Both as a way to show just how _magical_ his singing can do, and how wired up they all were.**

**Alexdel27: Those people make sense. Which is why I chose to have neither of them be the mom. Way too obvious and done to death in some cases. That's why I left a small hint in the last chapter as to the identity of Alice's new mom.**

**Delekmaster: I tried, but most of the songs I looked up don't have lyrics, and that sort of defeats the purpose. I do have a few choices so don't worry, however they are few and in between, so I'm gonna have to switch to English songs soon unfortunately (though they will not be traditional lullabies).**

**0akarigan0: Happy you enjoyed. Hope you like this one just as much.**

**WearyCurmudgeon: Ah yes, I remember that fic. That was pretty hilarious, and was part of the reason for why I brought her. I think that Lazerwolf1 was the only one who actually brought Willow into the multiverse's shenanigans. I'm not entirely positive though, I've seen more and more react fics popping up recently. Your 'booty call' comment really made me laugh though. I do like your idea of Ozpin's plan going to shit, but I have another universe where Jaune becomes King. No spoilers, but ****I think that will be epic, plus it would show how charismatic Jaune could really be. I still have Troy and 300 on the list if you want something like Gladiator, though the second one will be more historically accurate than the movie (no man-kinis for one). As for the nationality, I agree to a point. I do think that the statue in Beacon looks like an Arc ancestor, and the Mistral architecture doesn't really fit. But remember, the Arcs are far older than the 4 Kingdoms. That statue really could be Jaune's ancestor; and since the Arcs came first, technically they aren't Mistral citizens. Really, some are, and that's to keep up appearances and seats of power. There's also the symbol highlighted in blue on the floor of Haven's vault to address. That symbol looks remarkably similar (if not the same) to the ones used in France during their colonial days. I'm not sure why it's there, doesn't match the rest of Mistral's architecture, but I'm using it as a marker that _some_ Arcs were present in the Kingdom. But you are right, most of the Arc civilians would be in a seperate location from Mistral. Somewhere safe and out of the way. Where their numbers can grow with no worries. And with their contingencies, there's bound to more than one location. As for Alice, well how would he have been able to do that? It will be tough to buy tickets to Vale since the Vytal Festival is in full swing here. His grandparents were in Vale because they planned to go there and still had to wait, and they're Councilmembers. Lastly, because they all had to deal with the last viewing, that emotional roller-coaster would've left Salem and Oz tired. Since it was just the one song, they'd think that they were more tired than they thought.**

**AnimeWatcher1014: Your praises fills me with joy. I'm happy you hold such a high regard to my work.**

**guillermocejas767: I'm not doing that to Zwei. He's too fluffy and cute for me to put a bullet in his brain.**

**Again, so much love for the song. I'm happy that my research bore such fruit! Speaking of that, I would like to point out that France does have Celtic ancestry, it's just what remains of their legacy rests mostly in Ireland in Great Britain. Don't worry, this won't be the last we'll hear of Jaune's singing talent. Now, on with the show!**

**Disclaimer in the prologue.**

After a few hours of undisturbed rest, the audience began to wake up.

The first to do so were the new additions. They rubbed their eyes as they wondered what happened. As they rubbed the sleep from their eyes, they began to remember what it was that happened. Many began to smile, the melody so soothing to hear, and hoping that they would hear it again.

One after another, more began to wake up. Jack began to pass out cups of coffee to help wake them up sooner. It took a minute, but they were finally awake.

"Wow..." Ruby said in a soft voice. She never imagined that Jaune could sing so beautifully, nor handle little Alice so expertly. 'He really would make a great dad.' That thought got her to blush.

Weiss, Raven, Sienna, and Glynda were also thinking in similar wavelengths. They got out their cd's gifted to them from SomberFlight and wanted to hear the songs even more.

The parents smiled as they remembered the expert handling of the child. Ilia, seeing Chibi Blake resting on top of Ghira's head, reached over and started to cuddle with her like she was her child.

The mothers all felt like they could go for another kid, and began thinking of ways to _make_ that happen. The husbands began to feel a shiver run down their spines for some reason, confusing them. The most confused was Ozpin, who didn't know why he felt like he should lock his door and start building a crib.

Yang blushed heavily. Raising Ruby after Summer's passing had made her acting more on her maternal instincts than a sister at times. The sight of Jaune cradling baby Alice stirred her maternal instincts once more, and the thought of the two of them raising a child together had her loins burning. 'I mean, from what I saw, he's certainly experienced at being a dad...'

Coco looked at her friends in awe. "Did any of you know that he could sing like that?" She saw almost everyone shake their heads, but also noticed that his team nod.

"Well duh." Nora said, "He's been singing lullabies to us for weeks now." Her parents looked at her in shock, but also in slight regret at missing their opportunity to share in those moments. 'No more.'

Saphron widened her eyes as RWBY looked at her in shock.

"Wait," Weiss said as she stood up and pointed at her in accusation, "if he was so good, then why did he sound so terrible when he tried that on me?!" Her family looked at her in shock, causing her to blush and sit back down, much to the amusement of her teammates.

Nora shrugged, but Saphron looked to the heiress with confusion, "Well, he tends to get nervous whenever he has to perform under pressure." She paused when her little Adrian called to her from the crib, having trouble seeing from the brown cloak now covering his little head (1). Giggling, she went over to pick him up. Lowering his hood, she whispered a quick "Peekaboo" as he clapped. Kissing his cheek, she turned her attention back to Weiss, asking "Tell me, what was he trying to do?"

Before Weiss could answer, Ruby said "He was trying to serenade her in an effort to ask her out." "RUBY!" Weiss shouted in embarrassment, especially when her family kept looking at her. She squirmed under their gazes.

Saphron nodded, "Yep, that'd do it." She then looked at her brother's team with kind eyes. "Although, that's not to say he's bad at other dialects. He certainly can sing, it's just rare he'd sing in that dialect. That's why I'm so surprised really." Seeing everyone's attention on her, she smiled. "Usually, he only sings our lullabies to family members." She turns to look at his brother's team, "He must think very highly of you three. Those songs are a part of our heritage, and sacred to all in the Arc Clan." Her smile turned melancholic, "Many were sung to us from the Four Pillars themselves."

Many were surprised, though Whitley looked confused. "Is there something special in regards to that? Aren't they just simple lullabies?" The new people nodded along, not understanding why these 'Pillars' were so important.

Jack took the chance to explain the significance. "Indeed." He nodded, bringing everyone's attention to him. "As she said, those melodies are sacred to the Arcs." He points to Saphron, "Most of those were passed down from the Four Pillars, the Arc Clan's first ancestors. Those 'simple lullabies', as you said, are old. _Far_ older than the 4 Kingdoms themselves, or really almost _every _Kingdom in your history."

Whitley's eyes widened, along with everyone else who didn't know just how old the Arcs truly were.

They looked back at Saphron, who just shrugged.

Ren, Nora, and Pyrrha puffed their chests out in pride while their friends and teachers looked at them in awe. "We're awesome!" Nora shouted with a smug grin and fist pump.

Glynda leaned over to Ozpin, after ripping out his fake beard of course and causing him to sigh. "Bart would kill to look at their history." Her friend and boss nodded, knowing how their friend was in regards to learning more of the past. 'He'd probably sell his soul to study their historical records.' They thought with a sweat drop.

After the shock wore off, Jack continued with the viewing.

**The screen cuts to Beacon's drop-off area as a Bullhead is shown dropping down. After it touched down, Jaune stumbles out, carrying Alice close to his chest.**

The adults sighed in relief at seeing the two safe and sound. Sure, they were safe on top of that tree, but they would be constantly under threat from the Grimm. Being on official school grounds would be so much safer.

Adrian, seeing this, pouted and crossed his chest. Saving her was one thing, he didn't want his 'Oncl' Jan' time to be taken away.

His actions had his mommies giggle and snuggle him close.

**He was once again cursing the fact that he was cursed with motion sickness, 'At least I didn't throw up this time. Thank Oum for small mercies'. Alice, seeing the face he was making, began to giggle. She then started to look around in wonder. The new things she was seeing were very bright and pretty to the little girl. Jaune himself was relieved to be back, taking in the grand beauty of the school with a smile. He caught his charge's wonderous gaze and smiled to himself. 'She really is so cute.' he thought, then looking ahead, he saw the main tower.**

**"I really have to speak with the Headmaster about this." He whispered. 'He had cameras hidden everywhere during initiation, there is no way he wouldn't notice a student out and about at night.' He glanced at the girl as began the march forwards. 'I just hope that he will let me keep her.'**

Ozpin shook his head, "I wouldn't dare to take a child away from her father."

His students sighed in relief. So too did the Faunus, knowing how terrible the orphanages were to orphans of their kind.

Zwei bounced a bit in excitement at the chance of having a new playmate.

**The screen cuts to the Headmaster's office, with the man sitting on his fancy chair occasionally sipping from his coffee mug as he listened to one of his favorite students' tale. His deputy was sitting in one of the nearby couches, feeding some formula to the little angel. He of course noticed the cat ears, not exactly a subtle feature for her, but he didn't care. He was not one of those racist pricks like another certain, admittedly disappointing, student.**

The students growled, knowing full well who he was referring to, while the teachers sighed in disappointment.

Though Glynda did smile as she saw herself feeding the little girl. 'She's just _so_ cute.' She squealed. She quickly thanked her stars that no one could hear her thoughts.

**He noticed Glynda's smile as she fed the girl. 'She always did love children, and the baby's cuteness is just too much, even for me. Thank goodness Mr. Arc gave the child to her, I don't think that I would have lasted as long.' It took all of his willpower to not take the child and snuggle her like he used to do with his own children, all those years ago.**

Thoughts of their children had Salem and Ozpin wince, while everyone else raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Wait, he has kids?" A few asked.

Jack just shook his head at his guests' forgetfulness, 'Though I suppose they had something else to focus on.' He ultimately decided not to mention it. After all, if no one figured out the reason for why two children were suddenly clinging onto him while the other to were with Salem, then they were all idiots.

**As Jaune was completing his story, Oz mentally shook his head from the painful memories and brought his attention back to the here and now. "And after reading the letter, I saw it was too late to safely walk back to school, and the last Bullhead to fly had landed a few hours before. So I thought it would be best if I stayed at the grove for the night, taking vigilance over the area until it was early enough to call on the first lift out of there." Jaune finished.**

**Ozpin nodded in acceptance. ****"That was probably for the best, a walk in the forest at night, with an infant no less, would have been a disaster waiting to happen. Well done." he congratulated. "Although," he added just as Jaune smiled at the praise, "That does leave us with the task of what to do with the child."**

A few grew worried at that, though those who knew him felt that Oz was merely setting the young Arc up. That still didn't stop Glynda from glaring at a now sweating Ozpin.

**Jaune's heart clenched at the possibility of her being taken away from him. "Sir, with all due respect, the child's mother hoped for someone to take care of her. And I gave my word that I would do so." He argued, "I'll be honest, with her heritage, and the money stored in that card, there is little chance that she would live a happy life."**

**Ozpin nodded, agreeing with the young man. During the chat, he had taken a look at the card that was with the letter and the account it was linked to, and it was hefty to say the least. A few hundred thousand was in that account, all for the purpose of taking care of the child. Mr. Arc was correct, if she was placed in foster care, and with her Faunus heritage, then there would be little chance for her to ever see that money spent on her.**

The Faunus were scowling at the thought of Alice being swindled out of her inheritance, growling softly as they hoped that Jaune would continue to press for his guardianship role.

The students were horrified at the thought of someone being so cruel as to steal the inheritance of a child who just lost her family.

Mercury and Roman weren't happy. Sure they stole and killed before, but they always made it a point to never target children whenever they could. The idea of someone stealing from an infant didn't sit well with them.

The parents weren't pleased either. Willow, Salem, and Summer glared at nothing, while Tai and Ozpin wanted to go and beat that crap out of anyone who would even think pf doing something like that.

Raven, Vernal, Neo, Emerald, and Sienna held their new children close.

**"I fully agree Mr. Arc, however I cannot help but feel that you may not be up to the task as well." He raised his hand when he saw Jaune begin to speak up, "Let me explain please. You are a young man, with responsibilities to this school. You are also leader of a team of hormonal teenagers. I cannot in good conscience allow a teenager to take care of a child if they are unable to give the proper time to taking care of her." His gaze became stern, "Are you certain that you can balance all this?" This was a test for the boy. He knew that if given the chance, he will step up to care for her, that is not in question. However he must be made aware of his situation to be certain of his own dedication, he would not wish for the infant to feel neglected after all.**

Many of the adults nodded. They knew that taking care of a child was a heavy responsibility, and a teenager with schoolwork and leadership duties was stressful and time consuming enough. Although they didn't like how Oz was basically manipulating the young man, even if this was for a good cause it wasn't fair to Mr. Arc.

Jaune's friends and family smiled though. They knew what choice he would make, even if it was the more stupid one.

**And he was not disappointed. Jaune's eyes turned sharp, like when he faced the Grimm, and his words showed how strong his conviction was. "I understand Headmaster. I know she needs all the attention and love she deserves, and I give you my word as an Arc that I will do whatever it takes to cherish her as if she was my own."**

Saphron nodded in pride, Terra smiling as she saw her brother-in-law steeping up to the task. Adrian was clapping his little hands as he cheered for his uncle.

The students beamed with happiness. They knew he would take responsibility.

Those with crushes blushed as they saw the resolve in his features.

Emerald and Mercury wondered what would've happened if their families were around/not a complete prick. Maybe they wouldn't have turned to a life of crime.

Weiss, Winter, and Whitley felt slightly jealous of the child. They always wondered what it would've been like if Jacques was a kind father. Seeing Jaune show such love and care to a baby not his own brought some feelings of resentment, though they were quickly crushed. They didn't want to blame a child for their father doing a shit job. Still, they wondered how Jaune would take to the roll.

Willow saw all of this, and felt a deep sadness for her children. In her efforts to drink her troubles away, she abandoned her own flesh and blood to her horrid husband's machinations. It made her regret what she did, and prayed to the gods that she'd make things right.

Tai, Odin, Klein, and Ozpin looked at the young man with respect to the new father. Even Ghira had to begrudgingly nod his head as he crossed his arms in a pout, causing Kali to giggle.

**Even Glynda was shocked by his words, the small blush evidence of how his speech had affected her. Ozpin himself was proud of the man that stood before him. He nodded, knowing that the child would be in safe hands. He got out a piece of paper that he had Glynda prepare beforehand, and signed it after making few changes, specifically he added to the child's name. He then handed the paper and a pen over to him.**

**Jaune looked it over, smiling at the name for the child. "'Alice Arc'. Heh, gotta admit it has a nice ring to it."**

Saphron nodded as she smiled. Terra hugged Adrian as he clapped at the newest family member of the Arc Clan.

Many smiled or laughed at his reaction to the name change.

Some, like Pyrrha and Ruby, blushed as they mentally replaced 'Alice' with their own names.

**He signed with no hesitation, then handed the form back. As they both rose up, they shook hands, one in gratitude the other in pride. The two then walked over to the two ladies. There, the audience saw Glynda burp Alice, and Jaune went to pick up his new daughter.**

Glynda pouted a bit, wanting to spend more time with the adorable little angel.

Salem, Frigga, Willow, Summer, and Kali smiled at this, remembering all the times they used to feed their children at that age; the latter picked up Chibi Blake and held her like she was an infant, making the mini cat girl blush in embarrassment. Regular Blake saw this and pouted. Raven didn't have any memories really, what with her abandonment of Yang, but with Robin she felt that she would know soon enough.

Maria cooed as she saw the little angel acting all cute. Klein smiled as he remembered how adorable his charges were at that age.

Terra and Saphron grinned at the other mothers, knowing that Adrian was still young enough to feed him. The snugged closely to their boy as they watched the screen.

All this did was make the mothers want another chance for babies.

**He also have Alice wave at the teacher, "Say bye to the nice lady ok?" He whispered to her, the girl laughed and smiled at the pretty lady who fed her. Glynda felt warm as she waved back at her, smile more prominent.**

**The young family then went to the elevator, but before they left, Ozpin had one final thing that he wanted to tell him. "Oh, I almost forgot. I will have Miss Goodwitch send you some baby supplies as well as a key for your new team dorm." At his shocked expression, Oz smiled. "I am aware that your current dorm is not be suitable for a child, and I'm also sure you have no baby supplies."**

**Jaune nodded in appreciation and thanks for the help, while Glynda glared at her friend for dumping even more work for her to do.**

Glynda turned and leveled a glare at Oz as well, with the man swiftly turning away to look at the screen. 'Well,' she thought as she lessened her glare, 'at least _this_ time it's not for an asinine reason.' She rubbed her forehead as she remembered all the stupid shit she was forced to do. All the things she was forced to clean. 'Seriously, am I a professor or custodian for the school?'

Kali and Eve did the same to Ghira and Sienna. Kali knew that she had been saddled with the brunt of the paperwork when the two were in charge of the White Fang, but at least he gave reasons for it, even if they were suspect. Sienna had no such reasons, and just dropped piles of reports on Eve to work on.

Winter breathed a sigh of relief. 'Thank Oum General Ironwood isn't that lazy and does his own work.' Glynda, Kali, and Eve suddenly felt a bit jealous for some reason.

**Though that glare lessened when Jaune picked up Alice.**

**As the two went to the elevator, he turned around and waved to his professors, "Thank you again professors." He then looked to Alice and softly nudged to them,** "**Say 'thank you' to Big Sis Glynda and Grandpa Ozpin." She giggled again, and waved at the shocked adults.**

The students awed at the cuteness of little Alice, and Yang, Coco, and Nora laughed at their teachers' new titles.

Glynda softly smiled, picturing herself as the child's older sister, and actually didn't mind the image.

Oz felt a warm feeling settling in his chest, and he quickly wiped a few stray tear off his face as he repeated the words Jaune made in his head, 'Grandpa Ozpin.' The more he thought of it, the more happy he felt.

Salem just frowned, knowing that if history played out differently, she'd be swarmed with grandbabies of her own. Yeah, if only.

**Glynda was shocked, as was Ozpin, at the new titles. But even so, the two adults waved at the cute family as the doors closed, the former even blushing lightly as she saw the new loving family forming in front of her eyes.**

The sight had many of the students gushing.

Velvet was cursing herself for leaving her camera behind, but she at least was able to take some pictures with her scroll. Even if they weren't as high in quality.

**Jaune is walking with Alice in his arms outside in school grounds, taking his time to allow her to view her new surroundings. He smiled at her as she whipped her head around to look at the new place she was in. Chuckling a bit, he lead down and kissed the top of her head, right between her kitten ears, causing the child to look up at him in confusion. With his smile still on he said, "Liking the sights, sweetie? Well, don't worry, you'll have all the time in the world to explore. This is your home now." She smiled as if understanding him.**

Ruby was squealing softly at the cute pair, picturing herself with them as they all walked through Beacon's halls as a family outing. She wasn't the only one.

**"And guess what?" His smile widened a bit. "I get to be your new daddy. Welcome to the family, Alice Arc." Alice giggled and reached up to give him a hug.**

Coco blushed as she grinned. "That's so cute." She then smirked as she started rubbing her chin, looking at Velvet with mischievous eyes. "You know, he's well on his way to becoming an official Grade-A DILF, don't you think so too Vel?"

Velvet blushed, smacking her friend's arm with a scandalous look on her face. "Coco!" She yelped, embarrassed as her friend laughed her ass off.

The ones with crushes, and a few who didn't, nodded as they looked at the screen.

The Faunus in the room all smiled at this human readily calling the small Faunus child his daughter, though a few blushed once they heard the girl's remark.

Jaune's children blushed in embarrassment and modification. Even more so when they saw their mommies nodding along with the weird but fashionable girl's praise of their dad. Robin and Lucy facepalmed at their mothers perverseness, seeing them have nosebleeds.

**Hugging his baby girl, he looked forward and noticed that he was already near his dorm building; heck, he saw his door from here. "Huh, I didn't know we were close." It didn't take long to arrive, and before he unlocked the door, he turned his head to address his daughter as she continued to look at him, "Welcome home." He then opened the door...**

Nora squealed and grabbed Ren and Pyrrha in a strong hug. Grinning, she said "Ooh, we get to her first, guys!" She didn't notice, or care, that her teammates were trying to create a new shade of blue.

**Only to see his teammates, his second family, all fast asleep.**

"Nooo!" Nora wailed, dropping the two as she sulked.

Said two were coughing as they tried to get some much needed oxygen into their lungs.

**'I guess it makes sense, it's still early in the morning.' He saw his team scattered around the room. Ren was seated in his chair, no doubt uncomfortable as hell; Nora was laying sideways on her bed, legs off the bed and right arm over her forehead as she snored, he could see her covers on the floor; and his partner and best friend, Pyrrha, was lying on her bed on her right side, covers thrown off next to her, pajamas in full view with her facing the door.**

After escaping death, Ren winced as he saw his other's resting spot. He rubbed his back, already feeling phantom pains.

Pyrrha blushed, knowing full well why she was sleeping like that.

Nora was still sulking in her seat.

The rest of the students snickered.

**Jaune sighed softly and turned to his daughter.**

**Alice was looking at all the new people, wondering if they are as nice as the pretty lady.**

Nora jumped up and grinned at the screen. With a thumbs up, she said "Of course we are." Picking up Pyrrha again, she announced "Big Sis Nora and Pyrrha are way more fun than that mean old scary teacher."

"Excuse me?" Glynda asked, glaring at a now frightened Nora for the crack at her age as her coworkers decided to slowly back away. The woman's glare caused the mad bomber to begin stuttering as Pyrrha was trying to pry herself free and not be in the crossfire.

**He went to his bed, pulled off the covers, and gently set Alice down with her head resting on the middle of the soft pillow so that she wouldn't accidently roll off. As he went to leave her, she started to squirm in discomfort. She didn't want her new daddy to leave, and began to tear up at the thought.**

The glare was replaced with a soft cooing. "Oh, it's ok sweetie. Your papa's not going anywhere." Glynda tried to reassure the little angel, not wishing to see her new sister cry.

Oz wanted to say something, but felt he was on thin ice already. "You _do_ know she's not your kid, right?" So he let Qrow do it for him. 'That poor fool.' He shook his head, seeing Glynda absentmindedly whip her crop at the man and flung him at a pillar, eyes not leaving the screen as she still tried to calm Alice down.

Raven shook her head at the idiot that is her brother. *Sigh* "And that's my _brother_." She bowed her head in shame. Robin though looked at her mom in shock, 'I got another uncle?'

**He quickly kneeled down next to the bed, hoping to calm her down while not waking anyone else. With a whisper, he said "Don't worry, sweetheart. I just need to do some things, I won't be long. I'll still be right here." He softly stroked her cheek, getting a purr and smile in response, and slowly rose back up to make sure she wouldn't get upset again. Seeing no danger, he went around to do his team leader duties.**

The mothers smiled at the young man's quick thinking for calming Alice down.

The students wondered what he meant by 'team leader duties'. Though NPR felt worried for some reason, as if they didn't want everyone to see what would happen.

**First, he went to Ren's bed and tossed his covers away, then he went to his brother's body, and gently picked him up. Mentally thanking the gods for him being a deep sleeper and Nora's strength training, he went to his bed and tucked him in.**

Yang, Nora, and Coco laughed at Ren being carried like a child.

The other students giggled or smiled in amusement. Velvet tried not to laugh, but was taking pictures of everything. Unlike her partner, she thought it was cute that Jaune would do this.

The teachers chuckled good-naturedly as they witnessed some team building happening.

Emerald, Roman, Neo, and Mercury couldn't breath they were laughing so hard.

Ren just blushed as he sunk back in his seat.

**Next, he went to Nora.**

Nora stopped laughing.

**He first picked her up and gently laid her down in a more proper position, then he picked up her covers and aired them out as quietly as he could. After he was satisfied, he gently placed the covers up to her neckline. For the pièce de résistance, he kissed her forehead like he used to do with his little sisters back home.**

Now Nora joined Ren as their friends and the thieves laughed harder.

**'Wow, I'm surprised she didn't wake up from all that. Must've had all her energy spent from the previous day, wonder what happened?'**

**Lastly, he went to his partner's bad, taking a moment to notice how cute her pajamas were on her. 'Is that a Pumpkin Pete's logo on her chest?'**

Pyrrha joined the rest of her team. 'Wait, did he say I was cute?'

**Shaking his head, he gently placed her on her back, then he put her covers over her like he did with Nora, but before he could place a kiss on her like he did with the mad bomber, much to the crimson Spartan's dismay, she began to stir ("No... why couldn't you have waited for a few seconds?"). ****"Jaune?" she moaned as her eyes began to open.**

**Jaune gently shushed her and patte her head as he tucked her in, "Easy there, Pyrrha, it's ok. Go back to sleep". "Ok, glad you're back..." she began closing her eyes again. As she was doing this, he kissed her forehead ("Yes!") before getting back up, not wanting to let her feel left out, even if she didn't know it. If he looked at her, he would've noticed the faint blush on her cheeks. Looks like a certain someone was awake enough to know what he did.**

Pyrrha was a happy camper. Sure, she didn't get the kiss where she wanted most, but it was something, and she'll take what she could get.

**He walked to his little angel, seeing that she was close to sleep. "Makes sense," he whispered, "It has been a trying day, and she deserves to sleep in a proper bed than a tree." He yawned, realizing that he may need to sleep as well, a tree branch after all is not the best for your back. He took off his armor, then his clothes until he was only in his boxers.**

The girls could see his figure, and were happy to see it filling out. Though more than a few noticed the rather impressive bulge between his legs and blushed heavily.

Some of the men noticed too, even if they didn't want to, and felt very self-conscious at the moment.

**After putting his dirty clothes in the hamper he laid down, careful that he didn't wake Alice, and pulled the covers over them. As he was about to call it a day (AN. It's still morning dude.), Alice rolled over 'till she was snuggling on his chest, his aura more calming than any lullaby and they both went to sleep with smiles on their faces.**

**A few hours later and ****Nora was waking up.**

**A bit groggy at first, she wasn't all there yet, she went to sit up and stretch her legs before she noticed that she was fully covered up. 'I guess Jaune's back.' She smiled happily, the feeling of being tucked in like this was heavenly for her. It's one of the many reasons why she appreciates her leader. "He always treats us like family" she whispered to herself, not wanting to wake her team, her family, just yet.**

Nora smiled, remembering when she decided that her team was her family.

**A family. She was an orphan for much of her young life, only gaining a family with Ren, and for a while that was enough.**

Frigga and Odin smiled sadly, wishing they were there for her back then. They hugged their daughter, promicing that even though they weren't there then, they'll be for her now.

**She was content. But one day, she was having trouble sleeping...**

**XX Flashback XX**

**She was jumping on her bed, too excited from the awesome day she had, and the excitement for the weekend.**

Nora gasped, remembering that day, and quickly motioned everyone to quiet down so she wouldn't miss anything.

Ren and Pyrrha sat up in their seats, remembering this as well. The three began to smile as they leaned forward.

Their friends were confused by NPR's actions, but settled down so that they would see what would happen here. A few were hoping something funny would happen.

**"Oh man, I can't wait for the weekend to start! No boring classes, no homework! Nothing but pancakes and a hike later, wee!" She jumped and did a backflip, she was so excited. Ren was trying to get her down so that she could go to sleep, but she always had a lot of energy thanks to her semblance. As Ren was trying to get her to sleep so she'd wake up in time tomorrow, Jaune came to the rescue.**

**The young Arc walked over and crouched beside his bed, and took out a small box. Taking the box, he ****walked over to the still bouncing Nora. Pulling up a chair, he sat down next to her, and he said, "Oh Nora~?"**

**Nora looked at him as she continued bouncing. "Yes, fearless leader?"**

**He grinned, "If you come down, I'll give you a present~."**

**Nora gasped and immediately stopped, flopping on her bed as she looked with shining eyes. "A present?! For me?!" She pulled herself up to her knees and grabbed his shoulders, "What is it? What is it? What is it?" She tried taking the answers she sought by shaking him back and forth.**

Nora's friends laughed at her childish actions, while her parents chuckled.

**Laughing, he stopped her and raised a palm up. Pyrrha and Ren stopped what they were doing and watched in curiosity. Jaune then opened the top of the box, and reached inside. Giving her a wink, he pulled out a stuffed sloth plushie.**

**Nora squealed at the adorable toy, taking it from Jaune and snuggling it to her heart's content. "Oh, aren't you just the cutest thing ever!"**

Adrian, Zwei, and Chibi Blake took offense to that.

**Lying back on her bed, she said "I think I'm gonna call you, Ren Jr."**

Ren blushed again when his friends started to chuckle again.

**Distracted by Ren Jr., Jaune stealthily started to tuck Nora in. After he finished he patted the top of her head, causing her look at him and giggle at his silly action, already onto his plan.**

**"Hah, if you think this'll get me tired, you got another thin-", to the surprise of everyone, he just grinned and took out his scroll. Fiddling around with it, he pressed something and music started to play.**

**Then, he started to sing.**

**(Play "Tri Martolod")**

**"Tri martolod yaouank, tra la la la la la la**

**Tri martolod yaouank o vonet da veajiñ**

**Tri martolod yaouank, tra la la la la la la**

**Tri martolod yaouank o vonet da veajiñ**

**O vonet da veajiñ, gê, o vonet da veajiñ**

**O vonet da veajiñ, gê, o vonet da veajiñ"**

Several gasped, not knowing that they would hear another song so soon. The students and teachers smiled at how the song was affecting Team NPR.

**His voice turns soft, and more elegant than the one they were more used to coming from him. He resumed his head-patting, it becoming more soothing, trying to let her know that she is safe.**

**Pyrrha and Ren smiled, enraptured by the lyrics. They never heard something so soothing before. Their parents had tended to sing the more popular lullabies to them when they where children. They glanced at each other before quickly heading to their own beds, knowing that they will get a good sleep from this.**

Several of the parents laughed at their eagerness.

**"Gant 'n avel bet kaset, tra la la la la la la**

**Gant 'n avel bet kaset betek an Douar Nevez**

**Gant 'n avel bet kaset, tra la la la la la la**

**Gant 'n avel bet kaset betek an Douar Nevez**

**Beteg an Douar Nevez, gê, beteg an Douar Nevez**

**Beteg an Douar Nevez, gê, beteg an Douar Nevez"**

**Nora's eyes start to droop, she never had someone do this for her before. Ren always tried his best, but usually he'd just lets her expend her energy. This was her first time having someone singing a lullaby to her. She smiled.**

All the children smiled, and started to snuggle up to their mommies.

Nora, Ruby, and Yang did so too, causing Summer and Frigga to giggle. Even Blake did this, partly because she wanted to, and partly due to her being jealous of her Chibi self. Either way, Kali was certainly happy.

Noticing all this, Willow smiled sadly, knowing that with the mistakes she'd made, her own children wouldn't want anything to do with her.

Seeing this, Weiss, Winter and Whitley all went over to her and hugged her too. Willow gasped as she was surrounded by her children, but she smiled as well. As she returned her babies' hug, she started to tear up.

They all returned to the screen, and the young man's song.

**"E-kichen mein ar veilh, tra la la la la la la**

**E-kichen mein ar veilh o deus mouilhet o eorioù**

**E-kichen mein ar veilh, tra la la la la la la**

**E-kichen mein ar veilh o deus mouilhet o eorioù**

**O deus mouilhet o eorioù, gê, o deus mouilhet o eorioù**

**O deus mouilhet o eorioù, gê, o deus mouilhet o eorioù"**

**The three began to nod off, feeling as if something was compelling them to rest. An aura of warmth, like a soft hearth, seeping into their bones and calming them, drawing them closer to the sweet embrace of sleep.**

The teachers nodded to the song, feeling its gentle beats washing over them and relieving them of the memories of the last viewing. They saw the worst of the Arc, now they're seeing the best of him. The kindness of his soul, and promised to make sure that his pure light wouldn't be snuffed out.

**"Hag e-barzh ar veilh-se, tra la la la la la la**

**Hag e-barzh ar veilh-se e oa ur servijourez**

**Hag e-barzh ar veilh-se, tra la la la la la la**

**Hag e-barzh ar veilh-se e oa ur servijourez"**

**Jaune let the song continue, seeing Nora close to falling asleep. He looked around and spotted the rest of his team in the same spot. 'O****ne more verse ought to do it.' He looked back to Nora and finished with the song.**

**"Pelec'h hor graet konesañs, gê, pelec'h hor graet konesañs?**

**Pelec'h hor graet konesañs, gê, pelec'h hor graet konesañs?**

**E Naoned er marc'had, tra la la la la la la**

**E Naoned er marc'had hor boa choazet ur walenn**

**E Naoned er marc'had, tra la la la la la la**

**E Naoned er marc'had hor boa choazet ur walenn"**

**As the song ended, he looked around to see his team fast asleep. He even noticed the small smiles on their faces.**

Once the song finished, many began clapping.

The parents applauded the young man, knowing that he was well on his way of becoming a great father one day.

His friends loved the song, wanting to know what it meant and hoping to hear a private concert one day.

**He grinned and went to go to bed himself, wanting to get some much needed rest for tomorrow. Little did he know how his nights would change in the coming days.**

**The screen closed in on Nora's sleeping form, then the image started to waver, like the picture began to change into liquid. It cleared up, and they saw her, only different.**

"Woah, what happened?" Yang asked.

Ruby scratched her head, "Maybe we're watching a dream?" She turned to Jack, and saw him nod his head.

Frigga and Odin gasped, seeing their little girl as... a little girl.

**Nora, now tiny, is walking down a small hill in a large meadow with cute little critters frolicking around. She looks so happy here, her tiny arms holding a sloth plushy close to her chest. Many cooed at the sight. Suddenly a group of people started to appear ahead. She see her brother, Ren, to her right; to her left, she sees her big sister Pyrrha; and to her front she sees her big brother Jaune. All were smiling down at her, happiness clear in their faces and love in their eyes. She smiled widely and ran to go embrace her family.**

Her friends rushed over to hug the blushing bomber, happy to see that dream again, and smiling widely as her team and parents giving a big group hug.

**The next day, after their hike they were in their dorm room, listening Jaune explain why he did what he did last night. "Well," he shrugged, "it's what I would do for my baby sisters whenever they're too hyper to sleep." And thus began the new team tradition of forc-giving him the privilege of him singing them to sleep.**

RBY hummed, looking at Weiss with a silent question. She saw this, and deadpanned at her team. "No."

**XX Flashback End XX**

**Nora smiled at the memory, happy that she got a new big brother, and went to wake her team up the only way she knew how. But when she turned to wake her fearless leader up first, she quickly placed her hands over her mouth to muffle the scream that threatened leave her lips.**

**She sees Jaune, no surprise there. But the reason for the near team wakeup-call was just who was lying next to him. There, gently nestled on Jaune's chest, was a little girl with her thumb in her mouth.**

The mothers cooed, happy to see the father-daughter duo again.

**She quickly but quietly, 'don't want to wake up the little cutie now do I?', went to grab her scroll. She took it, and after giggling at Pyrrha for her choice in sleepwear, took many closeups of the cute family.**

"Yes!" Nora cheered, happy for her other's smart decision, and quickly joining her soon after. Many others joined as well, and the area was filled with the sounds of pictures being taken.

**After taking the pictures she wanted, and saving them for later selling, she gently shook Jaune's unoccupied shoulder.**

Nora snickered, picturing herself _swimming_ in pancakes from all the lien she'd get. Coco and Yang quickly ramped up on their own picture taking, either for clothes or haircare products.

**It took a few shakes, but eventually he started to wake up. The first thing he saw was Alice's sleeping face, causing many of the women to squeal and take even more pics. He gently kissed her forehead, but a snicker to his side made him turn his head to Nora's grinning face. "Hi. Watcha doing~?"**

**Jaune took it in stride, by now somewhat expecting that he would have to explain himself about the situation. "Good morning Nora" he whispered as he gently, with her help of course, go off his bed. Placing Alice back on the bed, he placed the blanket back over his daughter. "I know that you may have questions Nora, but can it wait until everyone's awake?" He asked her. "I don't want to have to repeat myself constantly."**

**"Sure thing Jaune. By the way," she said, sniffing him. "Take a shower, you smell like tree and bark."**

**He noticed the smell too and was already grabbing a pair of clothes to change into, his muscles still on display.**

Coco, Yang, and Nora laughed.

**As he went to the showers, he stopped and turned to Nora, who was watching Alice sleeping, and asked "Hey Nora, do you mind if you watch over her please?" He got a salute and cheeky smile for an answer.**

**After the shower, which disappointed many a fair maiden over the loss of a free show, he stepped out of the bathroom in his footie pajamas to see that the rest of his team were awake and staring dumbly at the baby, who was now awake and looking around for her daddy.**

A few snickered at the faces they saw, but mostly they laughed at the young man's choice in sleepwear's.

Robin and Altani glared at them, and released some of their spiritual pressure. The laughs died quickly.

**When she spotted him, she started to make some baby noises while reaching out to him. Her actions got Pyrrha and Ren to look at what she was interested in, and saw their leader and friend standing there.**

**"Uhhh, Jaune?" Pyrrha asked, gaining his attention. "Why is there a baby in your bed?" She was a bit disturbed that the boy she loved may have just stolen a child. Ren felt similarly, and silently asked the same thing.**

Coco waved a hand dismissively, "Oh you know, saved a little girl from becoming Grimm food, spent a night in a tree, and adopted said girl as my daughter. No big deal."

**Jaune sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, while Alice giggled. "Hehe. Uh, guys," he started, gently picking up little Alice and kissing her on the cheek, earning a smile from the little girl, and aww's from Nora and Pyrrha, "this is Alice, my daughter. Say 'hello' sweetie." He got her to wave at them.**

**They started to wave back, before their brains processed what he said. "DAUGHTER?!"**

The students laughed, and the orb left the screen to join the others.

"Well, that was sweet." Kali said, snuggling with her now _two_ children. Turning to her husband, she smirked.

Seeing her expression, Ghira grumbled and crossed his arms. Seeing the slight glare, he begrudgingly nodded.

A small flash appeared, and they turned to see that Adrian was wearing a baby version of Jaune's onesie. The mothers all cooed at him, while his mommies squealed and snuggled him close.

Another flash, and a basket with a letter and sloth plushie is seen resting on a pedestal.

Jack sighed in relief, and went to go pick another orb from a shelf, when a portal appeared overhead. Sighing again, this time in pain, he summoned a child slide that reached all the way up to the opening. From there, a small child fell and went on a ride on the slide. Laughing in delight at the unexpected ride, the little one enjoyed the slide up to the end.

Once at a stop, everyone saw that it was little girl, about two years old. With long wavy blond hair and bright green eyes that looked around in wonder. For clothes, she's wearing a knee-length blue dress with puffed sleeves, white apron over the dress with small pockets on the sides, long white stockings, and black ankle-strap shoes. (2) On top of her head, she has a small black bow resting in-between a pair of small cat ears.

Even though she was clearly older, everyone recognized her as Alice Arc.

Coco squealed as she took a few pictures of the cutie's little dress.

Looking at team JNPR, she began to stand up and walk over to them. Seeing her walking, the mothers cooed and encouraged her to continue. Hearing their words of encouragement, Alice smiled and walked just a bit faster. Once she was close enough, Nora quickly scooped her up and held her to her chest. Alice giggled and hugged her, saying "Anti Nowa!"

Hearing Alice call her aunt caused her to tear up and kissed the side of her head.

Ren and Pyrrha smiled as they stepped closer to join in the hug.

Alice looked, and waved at them. "Anti Wenny!" Yang and Coco busted a gut while Ren faceplanted. Nora giggled, knowing that that was probably her fault. She then looked to Pyrrha's expecting gaze and smiled brightly.

Pyrrha smiled softly and waited, hoping that Alice would call her the magic word. '_Please_ let it be "mommy".' Her heart shattered though when she said "Anti Pyr!" She started to tear up, but quickly went to hug the little girl when she looked at her sad face in confusion.

After a bit, Glynda and Ozpin stood up and went over to the team, wanting to spend some time with their new sister/granddaughter.

Alice, after feeling the love from her 'Anti's', looked over to the approaching adults, and squealed in delight. She squirmed in Nora's arms, and reached over to the two grinning adults. "Gwanpa!"

As the two reached her, Oz smiled in glee at hearing his title. Ignoring Qrow's quiet laughter, 'Gonna have to punish him later for trying to ruin this moment', he went to take Alice into his arms. Alice welcomed her grandpa with a smile and a tight hug.

Saphron smiled in glee, knowing now who Ozpin's true identity is she hoped to one day tell him about his family. 'Soon All-Father. Soon.' In the meantime, she just sat back and hugged Adrian. 'I hope the two would play well together, my baby needs some friends his own age.' (3)

"Now now, Oz, let me have some time with my sister." Glynda smirked and took Alice from her pouting friend's arms.

Alice giggled at her grandpa's pout, and reached over to pat his cheek. Oz smiled at the gesture, while Qrow just laughed harder. Looking back to Glynda she clapped her hands, earning aww's from most of the mothers, and shouted with all the love she could Glynda's title, "Momma!"

**END**

**Woo, finished! Thank goodness I got this out in time. Had to rewrite a bunch of times due to the songs I wanted to incorporate into this chapter. Eventually I settled for this one due to the more festiveness of it. Speaking of which, a bit of history/geography time! This song is from the 18th century in Lower Brittany. Brittany is located in Western France; if you look at a map of the country, you'll see a peninsula that is pointed towards the Atlantic Ocean. That's Brittany. It's also well within the Celtic sphere of influence.**

**Now, I bet you didn't see Glynda's new title coming did ya? Sure, I could've used Blake, but that has been done plenty of times. Why Glynda though? Well, I always thought that she could use a family. I also placed a few clues as to the identity of Alice's 'mother' throughout this arc.**

**First: the eyes. Her hair is blond, which could mistake her for Jaune's kid for sure, but the eyes? Only three women have green eyes: Pyrrha, Penny, and Glynda****. This knocks out most of the candidates already. Since Penny didn't even _know_ the boy at that time, and had no interaction in this viewing, that knocks her out. This leaves us with two.**

**Second****, and most important: when they were at Ozpin's office. What was Glynda doing while Jaune explained himself? Feeding Alice like a mother would do for her child. Pyrrha had no time whatsoever to show how she interacts with Alice, however Glynda had shown just how much care she has for her.**

**Now, while I'm done with this arc for now, we will see more of this one later on. Hope you all liked this one, but with Midterms coming up I'll not be updating for this week. Now, I was originally gonna post a chapter on Halo for next time, but for some reason I can't find the file. Luckily, an author asked for me to make a reaction out of his story and I agreed, with his permission to make a few edits to make it fit into the story better. So until then, I'll see you next time for "Terminator 2: Judgment Day (RWBY version)" by Lukepace414! **

**Translation:**

**Three young sailors, tra la la la la la la**

**Three young sailors, went traveling**

**Three young sailors, tra la la la la la la**

**Three young sailors, went traveling**

**Went traveling, oh, went traveling**

**Went traveling, oh, went traveling**

**The wind drove them, tra la la la la la la**

**The wind drove them, to Newfoundland**

**The wind drove them, tra la la la la la la**

**The wind drove them, to Newfoundland**

**To Newfoundland, oh, to Newfoundland**

**To Newfoundland, oh, to Newfoundland**

**Next to the windmill stone, tra la la la la la la**

**Next to the windmill stone, they dropped anchor**

**Next to the windmill stone, tra la la la la la la**

**Next to the windmill stone, they dropped anchor**

**They dropped anchor, oh, they dropped anchor**

**They dropped anchor, oh, they dropped anchor**

**And in that windmill, tra la la la la la la**

**And in that windmill, was a servant girl**

**And in that windmill, tra la la la la la la**

**And in that windmill, was a servant girl**

**Where have we met before, oh, where have we met before?**

**Where have we met before, oh, where have we met before?**

**In Nantes, at the market, tra la la la la la la**

**In Nantes, at the market, we chose a ring**

**In Nantes, at the market, tra la la la la la la**

**In Nantes, at the market, we chose a ring**

**There are two versions that I used for this. The first one is to set the tone of the lullaby, while the second one is for the lyrics for the song. Sadly, the lyrics for the second half isn't listed for the first song. The reason is because the one I used for the lyrics doesn't have them and I didn't want to try to decipher what letters to use. The links are below, 'A' for the lullaby and 'B' for the lyrics:**

**A) www . youtube watch ?v= nWHiQo4Sfj8**

**B) www . youtube watch ?v= xHS9MVL0DKQ**

**1\. A mini-version of Jaune's cloak from 'Revenge of the Arcs'. With everything going on, I forgot to add that in earlier. But really, since it's just a cloak, it wasn't a priority for me to remember.**

**2\. Tried to describe the dress from Alice in Wonderland. So just picture that, only child-sized.**

**3\. I did put down that Adrian is a toddler here, and a toddler is 12-36 months old (1-3 years old), so with Alice being 2, it would make sense for Saphron to want the _only_ toddlers in the room so far to get along.**


	22. Interlude Pt 2

**Chapter 21: "Interlude" Pt. 2**

**Hey guys, long time. Now while I promised to have Terminator 2 up, I got a lot of pm's regarding the audience's reaction to Alice's revelation. So, here we are. Like always: Reviews!**

**BagusJoy: I do want to try the hitman's bodyguard at some point, but it would be awhile if I do. Got a lot of movies to filter through.**

**jc-montanorock: I have about 3 different 'last stands' scenarios in the works: Halo, Star Trek, and Halo again but in with a different setting. Unfortunately I don't have any knowledge with Undertale so I can't, sorry.**

**warrior of six blades: Oz is rather secretive like that, and I think that it makes sense. He was wandering around for centuries, so he probably has trouble believing in the conviction of people after so long of seeing people going back on their words. Glad you liked watching Jaune with his team and Alice joining the ranks.**

**keybladelight: Since I'm working on going over all of the Iron Man movies, along with the Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy ones, I think I'll be quite done with Marvel for awhile. Thank you though for the suggestions. Haven't read the first one in a long time (favorite part for me was when Blake and Sun dined & dashed), but someone else made a reaction out of that one: "Jaune Arc's Multiverse" by LazerWolf1. You should read it, it's really funny! The second one is more focused on Whitley than Jaune so I don't think I'll be reacting on it, but the premise is rather interesting.**

**Valerious Lake: Yeah, some people did mention that. I do have plans for a gender bent Jaune, but like Alice, it won't be what people would think.**

**Argus456: It would be weird at first, yes. And you _know_ Pyrrha would do something like that.**

**Guest: Gravity Falls huh? Hmm, I'll have to look into that later.**

**Wolfang21: You know, you raise an interesting point. Since Alice isn't Jaune's kid by blood she won't be getting powers like the last two. Gonna have to think of something up, but I don't think I'll be going the American McGee's route. First off, haven't played the game so I don't know what powers she has; and second, Semblances are manifestations of the soul, so with her loving family I don't think Alice would be crazy like the other one would no doubt be. As for the request, I'm not a huge fan of musicals. I mostly steer away from them so I'm sorry but I won't be doing the movie.**

**Dragongod54: Never watched the anime before, so I'll have to watch that before I can give a proper answer about that. At least the animation isn't all jacked up like with Jojo so I won't feel creeped out trying to watch it.**

**10792083: Well I had to do something different, if I tried to make her kinder then she'd just be a mini Yang and Raven would leave her as well. With Robin as she is, Raven wouldn't be as much a bitch since she'll see her daughter as strong (and growing up with her mom would have some of her strong personality rubbed off on her). Plus, she's such a hard ass to the others because they are complete strangers _and_ past enemies to her beloved father. Remember how her sister forced her to open up? Altani only had to mention how upset their dad would be if she was rude to them, and she _immediately_ caved in.**

**Arcanus the scribe: Thanks for the offer, but I think I'm good. I'm honestly trying to branch out from Marvel due to having almost half of the movies of the MCU planned (I think 10 out of 23-4 right now), so I want to go to other places of interest. I do hope you understand.**

**jessealvarez360: And miss out on all the hilarious/awkward moments?! Not a chance XD But I'm not a cruel guy, those too young to witness the more lewd stuff would be magically placed inside their little playpen where they would be completely oblivious to the mature content. Also, where's the fun be if I made specific orbs to hold the more erotic scenes? Didn't do that when I made that holiday special, plus I could get more creative when I do the reactions since no one would expect to see them.**

**Guest: Not a huge fan of musicals, sorry.**

**Guest: Well, that was just to show the audience how Jaune was willing to let Weiss go as a crush (keep in mind that that was a _possible_ scenario, not a done deal). Weiss still has a chance, especially with how she won't be mean to him anymore.**

**WearyCurmudgeon: Nora seeing Ren as a brother is more to show how she felt when they first entered Beacon. With her constantly saying that they're "together, but not together-together", she had convinced herself that it was true. She would not have more deeper feelings for him until later on, which is now. Never did point out when the flashback was so that one's on me, forgot to put down that it was about a month into their first semester. Jus early enough for her feelings to not change, but late enough for her to be comfortable around Jaune.**

**Guest: That's the plan, they'll see Jaune go full Hollow mode, "Vasto Lorde".**

**Guest: Got a scenario where Salem and Ozpin switch roles, sort of anyway.**

**bagus joy t: Listened to the song, and I don't think I'll be reacting to it. I'm actually a bit worried for the singer to be honest. Still a great song though.**

**464315: Never liked rap music to be honest.**

**Reader: I am thinking of Yu Gi Oh, but only in the earlier seasons and it's not concrete yet. Pokémon does have more merit though. Pikachu was always adorable and having the little lightning rodent be with the audience could only be good (I don't want to imagine what Nora or Chibi Blake would do if either got their hands on the little guy).**

**LastPenis: I just type 'Celtic Song' in the search engine in YouTube and click on something that looks promising. It's really just guesswork, sorry if the answer isn't exciting. I do recommend you listen to "fill-iú oro hú ó", "****Mo Ghille Mear****", and "Óró Sé do Bheatha Bhaile". The first is just beautiful, but I could never find the lyrics while the second had some lyrics but isn't complete; and both are just awesome! I have a couple more, but they are mostly English with Celtic themes: "The Longing" and "Over the Hills and Far Away", both done by Patty Gurdy. Some of these I'm planning on using, along with others, but which ones I'll be keeping close to the chest.**

**Glad everyone liked the last chapter, plenty of positive feedback from Alice claiming Glynda as her mom. Now, onto the story!**

**Disclaimer in the prologue.**

After her unexpected announcement, everything became quiet. No one could say anything, it was like their brains had shut down from shock.

The only one who wasn't affected was Alice, who was currently poking Glynda's cheek, worried over why her momma wasn't giving her the love like she got just a few seconds ago. "Momma..." Alice said with an adorable pout as she poked her mom's cheek harder to get her to respond. That seemed to do the trick, only it was for the wrong person.

Tyrian, after rebooting his brain, started to laugh uncontrollably.

The sound of his crazed laughter managed to snap everyone out of it. Some, like Raven and Coco, followed the guy's example and laughed as well; while others, like Pyrrha and Ruby, paled as Alice's words finally registered in their heads.

Nora cheered for Jaune "Bagging another one!" with Ren trying desperately to get his friend to shut up, less she incur the wrath the was about to come.

The ones Jaune 'bagged' felt great satisfaction over one of the most critical in them bedding a much younger man now being in the same boat as them. All of them smirked as they hugged their children, 'Heh, you're one of us now.'

Most of the single men grumbled at how fucking lucky the kid is in snagging beautiful women.

The students were a bit mixed. Coco, as stated before, laughed her tight little ass off. Yang and Nora joining her. Weiss and Velvet looked scandalous as they gaped at the teacher. The others with crushes felt their hearts clench (and maybe their fists). The rest were just numb to all.

The new people looked around in confusion, seeing some of the others' reaction to the news and wondered if this was a normal occurrence. Poor fools.

Whitley wondered what the orange-haired girl was talking about, suddenly fearing for his mother for some reason. Willow, on the other hand, felt her heart beating in anticipation.

Glynda though... Once she became coherent, and heard the laughter, she unleashed the harshest glare she ever made. Most stopped on the spot upon seeing it, many shivering in fear as their lives flashed before their eyes. One or two may have even pissed a little, though _that_ knowledge will go with them to their graves.

Tyrian though, didn't stop, and instead pointed a finger at her as he started to have trouble breathing.

Emerald and Neo, pale as a ghost from seeing the glare of death moving towards their section, quickly moved their daughters and themselves away from the mad Faunus, not willing to have the teacher's gaze anywhere near their families.

Cinder followed her followers' lead, picking up her now awake pet dragon as she slowly inched away. _NOT_ because she was intimidated, of course not! She was just unwilling to stop her coworker from committing suicide. 'Yeah, let's go with that.' She hoped no one noticed the tiny stain in her seat.

Glynda blushed as she grinded her teeth together. "_..._" She simply growled at the man, the noise causing many to tremble.

*Pff* The dead man simply grinned at her, not noticing Hazel and Watts waving their in a final farewell. "Well, well, well~. Did the teacher do the dirty with one of her students?" He wagged a finger at her, his grin growing, and shook his head condescendly, "Shame on you, he trusted you." He giggled as he saw the child glare at him.

Jack looked at the guy with morbid curiosity, and leaned to whisper to Susanoo. "Who knew this guy was such a glutton for punishment?" Seriously dude, the fuck?

Glynda was _this_ close to throwing Salem's pet towards a nearby pillar, 'Maybe _through_ it if he doesn't stop', when something unexpected happened.

Alice, after seeing her momma seemingly wake up, immediately smiled as she thought that she would get her much deserved hugs and kisses now.

Then she heard the laughter.

Looking around, she noticed a lot of people laughing and tilted her head in confusion. She smiled and giggled along as she looked at them, wondering what was so funny.

Then the weird guy with scary smile pointed at her momma.

She didn't know why, but what he said next annoyed her a lot. Looking back to her momma, she saw the anger on her face and quickly pieced together what was happening. 'The bad man is bein mean to momma!' She tried glaring at the bad man to shut up, just like her sweet, innocent momma taught her (1), but quickly saw that _that_ wasn't working. So instead, she reached inside her apron's pockets, searching for something that her papa gave her.

"_Remember sweetie_," she remembered her papa telling her as he gave her a present for her second birthday, "_make sure to only use this when your momma is in danger_." He winked at her and grinned. The thing she remembered was her momma repeatedly whacking him over the head with her crop as her grandpa chuckled in the background whilst eating the last slice of birthday cake.

'Pwotect momma!' She grabbed what she was searching for, and pulled them out. She looked at her little hands, and smiled as she saw a small black ball with weird squiggly lines on it (2), and a red slingshot shaped like a heart with the words _Queen of Hearts_ etched on the handle.

Quickly, she loaded up her weapon and pulled back. With a shout of "Don make fun of momma!" she launched the ball at the Faunus.

Tyrian giggled when the brat glared at him. He blinked in surprise when she took out a slingshot from her pocket and aimed it at him. He was shocked when she yelled at him and shot a little black ball at him. He didn't know what happened next after the ball hit him and _launched_ him backwards into several pillars, quickly smashing through them as he lost consciousness.

After the dust settled, everyone looked at the devastation the girl had made.

Many of the parents looked at the rubble with wide eyes, shocked and a bit horrified over a tiny little angel like her having such a dangerous weapon in her possession; those who knew her felt that Glynda had finally created a mini-me, only even _more_ frightening; and most of the students gaped as they looked at the now smug child.

Jack grumbled at the mess the child made, but calmed down when his droid beeped and went to clean it up.

Salem, Qrow, Cinder, Raven, and Ozpin felt the power behind the ball, and grew concerned.

'Whatever that thing was, it was definitely powered by magic! Where the hell did that brat get that?!' The twins thought.

Cinder looked at the _two_-year-old with jealousy. 'Ok, that's just not fair!'

Oz and Salem wondered how a small child got such an innocent-looking weapon.

The children looked at the destruction with awe. Robin and Altani even went over to a now stiff Glynda.

Sienna's kid reached her first, and looked at a curious Alice. With a warm smile, she reached out and rubbed the top of her head just between her cute little kitten ears, earning a bright smile and little purr in response. "That's my baby sister." She softly cooed with pride, "you really are an Arc." The child just grinned with pride.

Robin quickly shoved her sister aside and looked at the pouting child. "Heh, you surprised me brat." She nodded in respect, knowing she did what she did for her mom, just like she would've done for hers. She then leaned down to lay a surprising gentle kiss on her forehead. "I'm very proud of you sis." She said as she backed away and the two went back to their moms, Altani glaring at her sister while trying to get rid of the dust on her Miko dress.

Alice smiled at the two nice ladies, and turned to her still shocked momma. "Momma, did I do good?" she asked and shyly snuggled into her chest as the mean man was no longer around.

Once more, Glynda was brought back to the present, and she looked at the snuggling girl with surprise. After a bit, she smiled and hugged her baby sister, 'No, _daughter_', with as much love and care as she could. "You did fantastic, sweetie. Absolutely fantastic." Her child giggling when she kissed the top of her little head.

The two then went over to the seat as Glynda gently stroked her daughter's long wavy hair.

"That was sooo cool." Nora whispered as she cooed at the destruction her niece made.

Ruby, Weiss, and Penny wondered where she got that weird ball from, and if they could use it for their own weapons.

"Man, she completely wrecked that guy." Coco grinned as Velvet gulped and nodded, the two looking at the twitching form of Tyrian.

Once the new family sat down, Glynda took the time to look at the damage her daughter did to the idiot. What she saw made her gulp and looked down at a now confused Alice as she softly patted her momma's tummy. "Sweetheart?" She asked in a gentle voice, causing Alice to look up, "Where did you get those... things?" As soon as she asked that, everyone looked to the child. They all wanted to know.

Alice looked at her momma as she wondered if she should tell her. She thought back to the day when her papa gave her, her present, and how he got his ass beaten as a result. She didn't want her papa to get hurt again, he was her papa!

Seeing her clear distress, Glynda softly said, "Ohhh, it's ok, shhh, you can tell me. I won't be mad at you, I promise."

Alice nodded, and was about to tell her, until she remembered what also happened that day. Her eyes narrowed as she remembered her grandpa taking the last slice of that yummy cake, the slice that her papa had saved just for her! Finding a way to get sweet vengeance, and knowing her various aunties would be proud of her, she smiled up at her momma and pointed to Ozpin, saying "Gwanpa!" in a cheery voice (3).

Everyone stilled, before they all turned to stare at the now pale Headmaster.

Ozpin gulped as Alice pointed at him, 'Did _I_ really give her that thing?' Salem thought the same as her ex if the glare she sent him was any indication. 'How reckless can you be, you idiot?!' He wanted to deny it, truly he did, but there was no reason he could think of for Alice to lie, no explanation he could come up with that would make sense.

Which is fair, as far as he knew, he and Salem were the only ones left who _could_ gift others magical items/powers in Remnant.

His friends were looking at him like he was an idiot; the students glared at him for potentially endangering such a sweet, _innocent_, little girl, the more protective of them even growling at the man; the parents mostly shook their heads at him in disappointment, though Raven looked like she actually approved; and the villains, the conscious ones anyway, felt that the old man had finally lost his Oum-damn mind.

"I-" Ozpin began to say, trying to defend himself, when a sudden ominous feeling swept over him, causing the man to freeze up in terror. He gulped, and slowly turned his head to where he felt aura of doom was coming from. There, he saw Glynda, giving him a glare so terrifying, that it dwarfed the one she just gave a few minutes ago. '...' He thought as he shook in mind-numbing fear.

Glynda gently picked up her child off her lap, and placed her in the arms of a shaking Summer Rose, silently 'requesting' her to look after her for a bit. Then she slowly rose to her feet, and like the angel of death, slowly walked over to a now slightly hyperventilating Ozpin. "**_Sir_**," she growled, earning a little whimper in response, "_care to explain **why** you felt gifting my baby girl such a **dangerous** weapon was a good idea_?" "N-Now G-Glynda-" "**_Silence!_**" The man jumped, along with everyone else. "_You have 'till the count of three to run_..."

Seeing how much trouble he was in, he took what time she gave him to haul his ass out of there. If he dared to look back, he would've noticed Glynda raising her crop in preparation. If he looked behind her, he would've also seen Alice with a satisfied smile.

Jack looked at Susanoo as Glynda unleashed her Semblance. "Aren't you gonna stop her?"

The man looked to his boss with the most serious expression he could, ignoring the pleas for help and shouts of pain, and shook his head. "Sir, I may be an unkillable being, but even _I_ know when to call it quits."

Jack shrugged, "Fair enough." and the two went back to watching Ozpin getting the shit kicked out of him.

**END**

**Welp, hope you enjoyed that. I really tried to keep this with the Terminator chapter, but I quickly found out that it was just too long for the merge to be feasible (of course, it's a bit short to be a regular chapter, oh well). I also originally wanted to have Qrow be the one to laugh at her, but after looking at the dialogue, I realized that he would never be such a dick to her. He's an ass, not a crazy person with a death wish. But Tyrian sure is~. Lastly, I left a little hint, can you guess what it is?**

**Anyway, I'll see you next time, peace!**

**1\. Her mom's Glynda, you really think she _wouldn't_ teach her little angel how to use her patented glare to get any unruly people to fall in line?**

**2\. An obsidian stone that's been shaped into a small ball, with runes carved into it to make sure the user, Alice, never misses while also dealing massive damage on impact! If she has to protect her momma like her papa asked, then she'll need to have something with a big punch. I'm personally a huge fan of the volcanic rock, and there are plenty of places that use the rock for magical catalysts.**

**3\. Man, little Alice is really into the April Fools spirit, huh!**


	23. Judgement Day Pt 1

**Chapter 22: "Judgement Day" Pt. 1**

**Hi everybody, glad you all loved Glynda's reaction to OZ, as well as Alice's adorable little prank. Speaking of Alice, some of you guys had PM'd me, asking for more detail regarding her slingshot's ammunition and its power regarding regular ammo: well, I'll explain that after the reviews. Speaking of which, reviews!**

**Argus456****: He sure did. Glynda most certainly started out that way, but I did hint at what Jaune acting as a loving and caring father does to her. Exposed to that for a year and *BOOM!*, wedding bells are a ringing! As for Jaune getting the weapon and ammunition: well, he had them commissioned by one of his family members that know their runes. It wasn't Oz who gave her the ammo, Jaune's family descends from Oz's daughters, who in turn have been helping their children with how to better understand their gifts.**

**Wolfang21****: Glad you liked Alice's 'harmless' prank. Sorry about Sweeny Todd, and your idea for what her Semblance would be is devious. I love it! I've seen the Warriors, wasn't a huge fan. Something about it that doesn't appeal to me. I can understand how it became so popular, I just can't get into the hype personally, sorry.**

**464315****: Thank you for clearing that up, really left me scratching my head. Maybe one day. I did love Mr. & Mrs. Smith, especially the house fight. So much damage done to their poor house, not to mention all those weapons coming out the ass.**

**Just a Reader****: Funny you should mention that. I'm already working on it as a separate universe. While some of the characters need some fleshing out, I think Weiss would be perfect for Kanna.**

**Theanimemaster9000****: You know, I've watched some small pieces of it on YT, and personally I don't see the appeal of the movie, I really don't.**

**Guest****: Does SAO Abridged count?**

**Dragongod54****: Maybe, I'd need to check which Fairy Tale fight has the most magic thrown around. I won't be doing any full episodes, just see if what badass fights I can work with to show everyone that magic **_**is**_** real and very prevalent thing there.**

**Stratos263****: Never played the game, sorry.**

**shadowpillar95****: Just a Shinigami. I think it's a good thing that I **_**didn't**_** make Jaune a Quincy actually. Less heart wrenching when you think about it. You see, while I did list a ton of stats regarding Seele Schneider, I did omit **_**one**_** major detail (something I planned on addressing when Uryū explains why his kind and Shinigami don't get along), something that ALL Quincy weapons have but didn't apply to Jaune since he was using a different form of spirit energy: if a soul were to be killed by a Quincy weapon, then said souls would be destroyed. Which means that if Jaune had Quincy energy running through that blade instead of forcing his own into it like Ichigo usually does with his powers, then that means that all of the students he killed, all of his friends (not to mention Salem and Ozma), would NOT have reached the afterlife. Man, that would've been just adding shit into the angst pile.**

**X3runner****: Uhhh, you're talking about the story by Amanda Jeffery, right? Must make sure I got my facts straight, don't want to do a chapter only to find out it was the wrong thing.**

**khornesbezerker****: That's sort of the reason why I don't want to use 40K. The Chaos Gods would never stop once they started their influence, plus the audience are sitting in the middle of a Nexus, a gateway into other universes, a Nexus that they had never corrupted yet. All those delicious souls, all the slaughter they could unleash. It would be a never-ending buffet to them. Also, the gift giving would have to wait until the next time Winter comes around. I want it to be an annual thing. Once the announcement comes out, you may send in your suggestions.**

**yuGOXAmelia G****: I've read the story, and while I loved it, I'm attempting to make my own. It'll have the required sweetness, with a sprinkle of sexy times.**

**BlackPhantom247****: He got the weapon/ammo from one of his relatives. Don't worry, I'll explain, not where he got it though. The ammo are obsidian rocks, size of a marble and inscribed with runes to make the ball explode on impact with a powerful kick. The runes are smoothed over to leave no edges, making sure that Alice doesn't cut herself (which is a very real danger due to how sharp it can be). For those who don't know, obsidian is extremely dangerous when sharpened. A blade made of the rock is sharper than a steel sword (though obviously not as durable), by several degrees in fact. The blast alone would be enough to knock Tyrian unconscious, the shrapnel to wreck his Aura. Currently, she's my favorite, probably because I've had a lot more time dedicated to writing about her.**

**Message at the END, please read for future of the story. ****As a note, with their permission I made a **_**few**_** small tweaks to the story to get an easier flow between that and the reactions; don't expect that to be the norm though, again I only did so with the author's permission.** **So, without further ado, enjoy ****"Terminator 2: Judgment Day (RWBY version)" by ****Lukepace414****!**

**Edit: changed the title for this due to the size of the previous on, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer in the prologue.**

It's been over an hour, and most of the audience had since been bored watching Oz get his shit kicked in. Even Tyrian and Hazel grew tired of watching the man being used as a battering ram against some pillars and fell asleep, the two lulled by his screaming.

At one point, Ren had tried to get his niece to call him "Uncle", but that was a disaster.

*Flashback*

Ignoring the pain-filled screams of the damned that is Ozpin, Alice was sitting on her momma's seat as Ren knelt in front of her. His friends were a bit away to give the two some privacy, but still close to hear the conversation.

"Now Alice, can you say 'Uncle Renny'?" Ren smiled, ignoring Nora and Yang's snickering, as Alice tilts her head in confusion. "Anti Wenny." She says, his smile getting a bit strained as she raised her palms in front of her mouth and giggled into them.

"No no, sweetie," he says softly, shaking his head. Alice lowers her hands and tilts her head the other way, "It's _Uncle_, can you say Uncle for me?"

"U-. U-." Alice struggles to say the word, as Ren leans forward with a small smile in encouragement. The others were also leaning towards them, watching the magical moment take place. "U-, U-…" He nods as she takes a deep breath and grins. "Anti!"

"D'oh!" Ren flinches back, trying to ignore the laugher of his friends. Alice was clapping her hands as she laughed at the funny face and sound her Anti Wenny made.

*End Flashback*

Right now, most of the students were hanging around, looking over some of the pedestals to see what weapons/armor were displayed there.

Coco was looking through her wardrobe with the help of her ghost ("I think I'll call you KitKat!"), wondering what new clothing options were in store for her after the last few viewings.

Penny was reading her books while scratching Blake's shadow cat, Yami, behind her ears as she lounges on top of her lap.

Raven and Vernal were talking with their children. They were trying to think up ways to get Jaune to notice them, and thought that their children may be the key. The other parents of Jaune's kids thought the same and were looking into it as well.

Cinder was cuddling with her dragon, glancing towards her phoenix egg and wondered how long it would take for it to finally hatch.

Emerald was scratching her head as she saw Toxic, her deadly pet python, nesting at one of the lower branches of Vernal's apple tree. Though she did raise an eyebrow at Jack's snickering.

The Schnee's were conversing, Weiss and Willow giggling as they watched Klein attempting to woo Maria. And _succeeding_ if the light blush on her face was any indication.

Adrian was in his pen, playing with his stuffed panda with Zwei and Chibi-Blake. Though the latter, in fear of being close to the mutt, stuck close to the bag of dog treats so that whenever he got close she'd chuck a few as far away from her as she could. Saphron, Terra, Kali, and Ghira were all cooing at the sight as they all took pictures for prosperity.

Eve was practicing some fighting moves on her test dummy, who was in the form of Jacques. Although, I don't think kicking the dummy repeatedly in the balls counts as fighting. Sure makes her feel better though.

Lastly there was Alice, the reason for all of Ozpin's pain. She was sitting at a separate part of the pen, playing with her new best friend, Snowball, the snow bunny that Winter got from Cur Sombre. The oldest Schnee sibling didn't mind letting the little girl play with her pet, especially when she used her deadly weapon: the adorable kitty-cat-pout, to force her to comply. She giggled as she petted the bunny softly, "You so soft, Snowball." She hugged her bunny, as it's _her_ bunny now, close to her little chest while still being gentle. Getting an idea, Alice released her hug and held Snowball up by placing her paws on her shoulders so that they were looking directly at each other.

"You hungy?" She asked her new friend, wondering what the rabbit liked to eat.

Suddenly, three small bowls appeared. One was filled with fresh fruits and vegetables, the second had fresh hay & grass, and the last one was filled with clean water. Snowball, seeing the veritable feast in front of her, started wagging her puffy bunny tail. Alice giggled again and placed her friend down so that she could eat, then she got up to play with her other new best friend Adrian.

A few minutes later, Glynda was finally going back to her seat. She was still a bit pissed at Oz, so to calm her down, and not accidentally murder anyone, Jack grabbed Ren's album so that she could look at some pictures. Of course, he had his droid do it since Susanoo refused to go near her.

Thanking the lyyle guy, earning a few happy beeps, she opened the book and began looking through them. She came across a few pages with photos of Jaune with Alice in his arms, another with Alice taking her first steps, a few of Jaune attempting to feed her but making a mess out of the experience, and some had Alice playing with her 'Anti's' (1). Though these made the woman smile, two photos grabbed her attention the most however.

One was herself and Jaune, the latter appearing a bit older 'Perhaps a year or so', both of their uniforms crumpled, and Ozpin on his knees as they all watched the top of Beacon Tower get engulfed in flames. 'Just what happened here?' She blushed a bit as she noticed a bit of lipstick smeared on Jaune's neck, 'And _what_ did we do?'

She was a bit confused, and worried, at how nonchalant the two looked as Ozpin wept in the background and Beacon Tower burned like a lighthouse. Though the sight of Oz on his knees, pounding at the ground with his fist as tears rolled down his face was a humorous sight (2).

The second was with the students posing in front of the camera, herself sitting on a chair in the middle and Jaune behind her. A banner on top saying 'It's a Girl!' The two of them were smiling in front of the camera as they rubbed her belly. 'W-What?' She thought as she looked at herself, her pregnancy clearly showing. 'Am I- Wait…' She looked closer at the picture. There. On her left hand. A gold ring decorated in sweeping, yet very elegant runes, and an emerald embedded into the band. She looked to her own hand, and seeing the ring gasped. 'It's the same one!' She looked back at the photo and whispered, "Is this the same universe where I, *gulp* _marry_ him?"

She looked at herself, at how happy she was, and felt a bit jealous. She placed a hand on her own stomach and gently rubbed the spot where a new life would eventually grow inside with a small smile as she pictured herself with Jaune's baby. 'Wait.' She stopped, suddenly remembered Alice, and how confused she looked as she rubbed her stomach, the _same_ spot she was rubbing a second ago.

Her eyes widened, "Of course." She whispered. Her smile came back in full force, and she got up and went over to her daughter. Seeing how much fun she was having playing with everyone though, she decided to leave her be for now. She did take a few pictures though, wouldn't want to miss capturing the moment of course, and placed her hand on her belly again, 'I wonder just how I became pregnant.' A sudden flash of memory came to her, of Jaune and herself being quite _intimate_ with each other on top of Ozpin's desk. She blushed a bit. 'Never mind.' she thought as she went back to her seat to see what else the album had in store for her.

Meanwhile, Oz was in a broken heap, seemingly forgotten by his friends and enemies.

Salem noticed and smirked at the broken man, inwardly applauding Glynda for dealing what she felt was divine justice. She also noticed Alice playing with the other child. 'Oh, that is simply precious.' She thought as she looked at the happy children playing with a whimsical smile, remembering the time spent playing with her children.

After seeing Glynda's rage fully subsided, Jack picked up a blue orb, stepping over Oz's mangled body to do so, and placed it on the screen.

Looking up from the album to see what the noise was, Glynda gave an uncharacteristic pout. With a sigh of regret and longing, she closed her album and placed it on a small table close to her for later and quickly went to pick her child up. With another sigh, seeing her daughter's sad pout at her fun time ending was just torture for her, she went back to her seat.

Saphron and Kali did the same for their children, though Chibi-Blake was worried that she would get another death hug; Winter wanted to pick up her pet, but decided that the pen she was in now was better than the one she was at before. And Zwei laying down next to her was just too precious to disrupt.

The other pets, aside from Toxic, moved to lay beside the pen.

As Jack went back to his seat, the lights began to dim, notifying the rest that it was time for another viewing and went to their seats. A minute later, and everyone was seated. Some wanted to question Jack on what future they would see, but they stopped once the screen turned on.

**The screen opens to Downtown Atlas on a hot summer day. In slow motion humans and Faunus move in herds among the glittering rows of cars jammed bumper to bumper. Heat ripples, distorting the torrent of faces. The image is surreal, dreamy.**

The heroes smile at the sight while the villains rolled their eyes.

**And like a dream it begins very slowly to change. It's the same spot as before, but now it is a landscape in Hell. The cars are stopped in rusted rows, still bumper to bumper. The skyline of buildings beyond has been shattered by some unimaginable force like a row of kicked-down sandcastles. Wind blows through the desolation, keening with the sound of ten million dead souls. It scurries the ashes into drifts, stark white in the moonlight against the charred rubble.**

The heroes now could only watch in horror as they witnessed what was essentially hell on Remnant replacing the once calm and peaceful area. Those who live/d on Atlas were especially frightened, seeing a version of their once beautiful city now reduced to rubble.

Glynda and Terra immediately turned their children away from the terrible sight.

**Atlas, July 11, 2029**

**We see fire-blackened human bones. Beyond the mound is a vast tundra of skulls and shattered concrete. The rush hour crowd burned down in their tracks. A playground... where intense heat has half-melted the jungle gym, the blast has warped the swing set, the merry-go-round sagged in the firestorm. Small skulls look accusingly from the ash-drifts ("O-Ok we get it, j-just make it s-stop!"). We hear the distant echo of children's voices... playing and laughing in the sun. A silly, sing-song rhyme as It slowly moves over towards the seared asphalt where the faint hieroglyphs of hopscotch lines are still visible. It then comes to rest on a burnt and rusted tricycle... next to the tiny skull of its owner. Then while still on the tricycle, a woman speaks.**

Throughout the scene, many had burst into tears. Seeing the last skull, many knew that it once belonged to a young child. The students could only look away while the parents held their children closer to them, as if to shield them of the horror they were seeing.

Eve smirked, sort of liking the change in scenery, and thinking of ways to unleash a similar carnage onto the other Kingdoms should they refuse to submit to Faunus superiority. 'I truly must have the Arcs by my side though.' She thinks, glancing at a saddened Saphron as her wife covers their son's eyes. 'After all, if they are as hidden within the Kingdoms as was shown previously, then...' Her smirk widened as she shivered.

Cinder had a similar idea.

_**"3 billion humans and Faunus live ended on August 29th, 1997. The survivors of the nuclear fire called the war Judgment Day. They lived only to face a new nightmare, the war against the Machines..."**_

The smirk left Eve's face once the total death toll was announced. She honestly couldn't care less for the deaths Humanity suffered through. 'Fewer humans just meant an easier time for Faunus to rule after all.' she thought. But the Faunus. Hearing how many of her people died as well was heart wrenching.

The numbers were too much for some to handle, and some fainted out of grief.

Yang, Coco, and Nora gripped their seats in anger. They wished they could've been there to stop this apparent slaughter from happening.

Penny felt a dark shiver creep up her spine, same with Winter and James; though the former wondered why the voice sounded familiar.

The parents hugged their children tighter.

A few in the audience felt like they heard that voice before.

**A metal foot crushes the skull like china, revealing a humanoid machine holding a massive battle rifle. It looks like a Chrome Skeleton... a high-tech Death figure. It is the endoskeleton of a Series 800 terminator. Its glowing red eyes compassionless, sweep the dead terrain, hunting.**

Penny whimpered, seeing this soulless death machine come into the picture by way of crushing the child's skull.

Winter and James could only watch in horror.

Ruby and the Faunus flinched at the sound whilst those who fainted came to.

**The sounds of roaring turbines. Searchlights blaze down as a formation of flying HK (Hunter-Killer) patrol machines passing overhead. Following them toward the jagged horizon, beyond which we see flashes, and hear the distant thunder of a pitched battle in progress.**

The heroes perked up, honestly not expecting to see any resistance, despite the voice's saying there were survivors. Ruby, Penny, and Velvet breath a sigh of relief and silently prays for those brave souls.

**Human and Faunus troops were engaged in desperate combat with the machines for possession of the dead Remnant. The survivors are a ragtag guerrilla army. Skynet, created by Atlas, created weapons consisting of Ground HKs, tank-like robot gun-platforms, flying Aerial HKs, four-legged gun-pods called Centurions, and the humanoid Terminators in various forms.**

Qrow and Roman clapped at Winter and James, respectively. "Oh, now there's a big surprise!" Qrow says as he glares. Roman did the same as he looks to James, "Oh, good job General, thanks a lot."

Weiss gasps as she now knows who created these death robots. James was numb, seeing his own machines waging a genocidal war against them. Willow quickly hugs her younger babies close, kissing the tops of Weiss's and Whitley's heads, and looks away from the army that her country had unleashed.

**We then see a man pushing slowly forward as the battle rages outside. The screen closes in on his face as he lowers the binoculars and they see that he is forty-five years old. His features are severe as they show the left side of his face being heavily scarred. An impressive man forged in the furnace of a lifetime of war. The name stitched on the band of his beret is Schnee.**

Qrow and Roman blinked, while Winter and James sighed in relief.

The parents felt it was safe now to let go of their children, though Glynda and Terra still held theirs close.

_**"Skynet, the computer which controlled the machines, sent two Terminators back through time. Their mission: to destroy the leader of the human resistance... Finch Schnee… My son. The first Terminator was programmed to strike at me, in the year 1984... before Finch was born. It failed. The second was set to strike at Finch himself, when he was still a child. As before, the resistance was able to send a lone warrior. A protector for Finch. It was just a question of which one of them would reach him first..." **_**the voice said.**

The others were left confused now. If these universes were supposed to be focused on Jaune, then shouldn't he be the one to lead the fight against the machines instead of this Finch guy? And time travel? Was this woman serious?

Though the heroes were worried that Skynet could send an assassin through time to kill the leader of the resistance, twice if the voice were to be believed.

Winter frowned, recognizing whose voice it was now. Many who knew her recognized it too.

Many also didn't fail to notice the man's last name, and turned to the three Schnee women.

Willow and Weiss, after the hug ended, squirmed in their seats, wondering if the man is their other's son.

Whitley, narrowing his eyes, snapped his fingers. He believed that he's figured out why the screen was focused on this man. "I get it now." He says, drawing many peoples' attention as he points to his oldest sister. "That woman's voice is obviously you, Winter." He gestures to the area around them. "And since this 'Nexus' place is supposed to be focusing on this Arc person…" he points to the screen, "and Winter mentioned time travel, it is obvious that this 'Finch' character is their son from the future." He sits back with crossed arms and a smug grin, believing that his theory was correct.

Winter blushed at how her brother just so loudly pointed out the possibility that this man was her child with Jaune Arc for the world to hear, and in front of those who already held feelings for the young man. 'Must he have said that so loud?' She felt more embarrassed when her mother squealed at being a grandmother and immediately went to hug her in congratulations. She also felt more than a few glares directed towards her, the one sent by Glynda terrifying her most of all. Lastly, she was worried for her son. This 'Skynet' had sent killers after her boy _twice_.

And where was Jaune in all of this?!

'Although…' She thought, analyzing Skynet's plan further and trying to ignore her mother's odd behavior towards her. 'The enemy was clearly threatened by my son, _my_ son, in this war that it had to send Terminators to the past just to eliminate him.' She puffed her chest out in unending pride at the son she helped bring into this world. 'My son saves the world!'

Those who held a crush glared more at her prideful posture. Though they could admit this about the man as they went back to the screen. While not one of theirs, he did cut a rather dashing figure as he gazed into the horizon.

Jaune's children narrowed their eyes at the man on-screen though. Try as they might, they just couldn't see any similarities between this man and their papa.

**Wild fingers of blue-white electric arcs dance in a steel canyon formed by two tractor trailers, parked side by side in the back lot of an all-night truck stop. Then the strange lightning forms a circular opening in mid-air, and in the sudden flare of light we see a figure in a sphere of energy. Then the energy whites out with an explosive thunderclap!**

"What is that?" Glynda asks, looking at the sphere in confused awe.

Jack shrugs and says, "Eh, a sort of capsule meant to protect travelers as they arrive at their destinations through time."

The others looked at him as if he were crazy with how he said that. They're witnessing time travel take place in front of their eyes! And he announces it like he was talking about the weather.

They all looked back to the screen, leaning forwards in their seats to get a better look at the sphere. Many wondered who would exit it.

**Through the clearing vapor we see the figure clearly... a very **_**naked**_** figure.**

As the man's naked form was shown, many of the women blushed. To be fair, a kneeling, naked man popping out of the weird bubble of energy was not on their lists of what to expect.

Yang and Tai quickly moved to cover Ruby's eyes but wasn't fast enough as she just zipped on over to NPR's spot to see more of the stranger.

Glynda and Terra had no such problem for Alice and Adrian.

**His physique was massive, perfect even, with Blue Eyes and Blonde Hair. His Face: devoid of emotion. The Terminator stands and impassively surveys its surroundings.**

"It's Jaune!" Ruby pointed out, blushing as she openly ogled her crush, much to her dad's horror. Pyrrha gaped at the pure Grade-A man meat her love had become and promised to up their training sessions so that her Jaune could look as ripped as this one.

Alice had perked up at the mention of her papa and wanted to see past her mama's hands. "Mamaaa, wanna see papa." She pouted and crossed her arms when her mama shook her head and told her that no, she wouldn't want to. 'Silly mama, I wanna see papa.'

Adrian had the same problem, wanting to see his 'Oncl Jan' again but his mom was refusing to let him see.

The female Schnee's had a massive nosebleed from seeing the toned body of this man, with Blake and Chibi-Blake following soon after.

Winter gulped, witnessing what may be her future husband if she plays her cards right. Willow felt proud of her daughter for snagging such a fine man, even though she felt a bit jealous as well. Same with Weiss. Whitley though, felt a bit indignant at seeing his family acting like this.

Sienna purred. Seeing the handsome man stand up, his muscles rippling with each movement… she licked her suddenly dry lips as her breathing became a bit erratic, her child scooting away a bit.

Cinder panted at seeing her man on screen. "He's so _perfect_." Neo and Emerald absentmindedly nodded along as they tried desperately to burn the image into their minds, forgetting that they could just use their scrolls to do so.

Salem and Ozpin, the latter of whom _finally_ had gotten healed enough by Jack to head back to his seat, felt nothing but pride swelling within them.

Nora laughed as she wolf-whistled, "Go Jaune-Jaune! Strut what your momma gave ya!"

Saphron squeaked in embarrassment from Nora's bold words as she quickly covers her eyes in pain, not wanting to see her baby brother on full display, while Terra laughs beside her. 'Too much Jaune! My eyes! They _burn_!'

Coco and Yang drooled at the image and threw lien at the screen, hoping their offerings would be enough to have the screen remove the annoyingly darkened area censoring the promised land. No one noticed Glynda doing the same with one hand, hoping she too would see what the man was packing while also preventing her innocent child from seeing her father, and herself, in such a state.

Eve and Ilia felt a bit hot. Sure, they didn't normally go for guys, but even they couldn't deny how perfect this one was, Human or not.

Raven and Vernal grinned at the clear Warrior inspecting his surroundings. "My, what a fine specimen we have here, wouldn't you say Vernal?" She purred, eyeing the Adonis like a piece of meat. "Oh _yeah_." Vernal said, gazing at him with pure lust. Their daughters squirming in their seats, not comfortable with their mother's perverted words.

The other women, while awed, shrugged as they were more focused on comforting their men to deal with it. Speaking of which: once again the guys felt their pride as men take a huge dive from the one known as Jaune Arc. Even Ghira wasn't spared, 'His build is better than mine!'

**On a back route to north L.A., a handful of local truckers' hunch over chili-sizes, CAT hats pushed back on their heads. Three bikers are playing a game of pool in the back, their empty beers lining the table's rail. The dive's owner, Port, a fat, aging biker-type in a soiled apron, stands behind the bar. Nothing much going on...**

And just like that, the spell of the perfect man was broken, and many reeled back as they watched Port's unflattering appearance show up on-screen.

"NO!" Yang wailed as Coco, her hands in prayer, shouted "Bring back the sexy god!"

**Then the front door opens and a big naked guy strolls in – that doesn't happen every night. ("YES!" "Thank you!" ) All eyes simultaneously swivel towards Jaune. His emotionless gaze passes over the customers as he walks calmly through the room. Everyone freezes, not sure how to react.**

**The screen switches over to Jaune's POV. A digitized electronic scan of the room overlaid with alphanumeric readouts which change faster than the human eye can follow.**

"Woah, what the hell was that?" Tai asks, having recovered from the emasculating scene the men witnessed. No one could give an answer, trying to figure out just what they were seeing. Though Penny narrowed her eyes in thought.

**Going back to normal, Jaune moves past the staring truckers, the owner, and the awestruck waitress and approaches a large nasty-looking biker puffing on a cigar. The strange POV is back, outlining the biker's body, or "selected", and thousands of estimated measurements appear. His clothing has been analyzed and deemed suitable...**

**"I need your clothes, your boots, and your motorcycle." Jaune said in a deep, and powerful voice.**

Many of the women who held crushes swooned at the tone of his voice, many feeling a burning desire to pin this man down and 'analyze' him.

Jack smirked, wondering when they would realize what Jaune _really_ was.

**The big biker's eyes narrowed. He takes a long draw on this cigar, the tip cherry-red hot.**

**"You forgot to say please." Cigar Biker said.**

**He takes his cigar and grinds the tip on Jaune's chest ("How dare you!"), which produces not the slight reaction of pain. Jaune, calmly and without expression, grabs Cigar by his meaty upper arm...**

**Cigar screams from the grip.**

Nora jumps up and shakes her fist at the screen, "No Jaune! Don't go for his arm, go for the legs!"

Whitley blinked, a disturbed by this brutish girl's proclivity towards breaking people's legs.

**Jaune doesn't see Cigar's friend behind him, holding his pool cue by the narrow end like a Louisville Slugger. The heavy send whistles in a powerful swing and cracks in two across the back of Jaune's head.**

**Jaune doesn't seem to notice. Doesn't even blink. Without releasing his grip on Cigar, he snaps his arm straight back and grabs Pool Cue by the front of his jacket. Suddenly the heavyset biker finds himself flying through the nearest window. CRAASSH!**

Nora laughs maniacally, her father joining in as he starts to feel a kinship with the boy's brutal, yet efficient, fighting style. Frigga just sighs and shakes her head.

Jaune's friends cheer him on, wanting to see him wreck the bikers even more.

**Jaune then hurls Cigar, all 230 pounds of him, clear over the bar, through the serving window into the kitchen, where he lands on the big flat GRILL. We hear a sound like sizzling bacon as Cigar screams, flopping jerking. He rolls off in a smoking heap.**

Some of the people winced, but they felt that the biker deserved it for trying to burn Jaune earlier.

**The third biker whips out a knife with an eight-inch blade and slashes at Jaune's face, earning worried gasps from some in the audience. Jaune grabs the arcing blade with his bare hand. Holding it by the razor-sharp blade he jerks it from the guy's hand. In a stunning display, he flips it and grabs the handle like you're supposed to hold a knife. He grabs the biker and slams him face-down over the bar. Then he brings the knife whistling down, pinning the biker's shoulder to the bar top with his own steel.**

The audience claps once they see the fight is over.

The villains nod in respect; while Cinder, Emerald, and Neo have 'I want you' gazes fixed at the hulking, and _still _naked, man.

**The doors bang open and Jaune strides in. The Faunus cook does a fast fade as Jaune walks toward Cigar, who is cursing in pain on the floor. With his deep-fried fingers he struggles to get out the .45 auto tucked under his leather jacket. But he can't even hold onto it. Jaune takes it from him. Instead of pointing it at him, Jaune carefully examines the weapon, analyzing its caliber and operating condition. Jaune, being what he is, never threatens... that's a human thing. He just takes.**

Cinder, Neo, and Emerald pouted, wanting to see the man executed by his own weapon for daring to harm their man. Eve pouted too, but that was more to do with the human not dying.

**Cigar senses what he must do when the emotionless eyes come back to him. He grabs the keys out of his pocket.**

**"Take it." Cigar said as he throws it to Jaune which he catches it in midair.**

Nora snickers and leans to her team, "That guys shaking so much. You think he peed his pants?"

Ren and Pyrrha shake their heads with soft smiles.

**Jaune walks out from the building, fully clothed now in a black leather jacket, black shirt, leather riding pants, and heavy, clean boots, surveying the parked Harleys.**

"Aww." Many of the women in the audience whined, the free show now over.

Coco though, nodded at his choice in clothing, "Hmm, _very_ nice." She says, lowering her sunglasses to get a better look.

Seeing the coast was clear, Glynda and Terra finally allowed their children to see Jaune.

Alice had stars in her eyes, "Papa so cool!" She squealed, earning a few giggles from her family and "Aww"'s from the heroes.

Adrian just smiled at his uncle's new look, bouncing on his mom's lap in excitement.

**He sticks the .45 in his belt and swings one leg over a massive custom electro-glide. He slips the key in the ignition. Kicks over the engine. It catches with a roar and he slams the heavy iron into gear with a clunk.**

**Port appears at the diner's door with a sawed-off 10-Gauge Winchester Lever-Action Shotgun. He fires into the air and jacks another round in fast, aiming at Jaune's back.**

**"I can't let you take the man's wheels, son. Now get off or I'll put you down." Port said, threatening Jaune.**

**Jaune turns and considers him coldly. He eases the shifter up into neutral and rocks the bike onto its kickstand. He swings his leg over and walks calmly toward the guy.**

**Jaune strides right up to Port, staring straight into the shotgun's muzzle.**

A few were worried at seeing Jaune's apparent lack of safety as they watch him practically stare death in the face.

Oz held his breath, hoping that the young man would not hurt his friend.

**"That's it, goddamn it." Port said as Jaune's hand blurs out like a striking cobra and is somehow suddenly holding the shotgun.**

**Port gapes, knowing he's screwed. Jaune walked to Port while he walked backward with his hands up, but he stops after he felt the doorframe. Then... Jaune reaches toward him…And slips the sunglasses out of Port's shirt pocket.**

**He puts them on making him even more intimidating.**

Coco and Yang grinned, seeing how badass Jaune's look was with the sunglasses, and tried the same to see if they could replicate that.

The teachers were glad that Jaune let their friend go without injuries, unlike the bikers he destroyed.

**He strides back to the Harley and roars off in a shower of gravel. Jaune roars down the freeway, heading for L.A. Cold neon flares across the chrome of the big bike. The 10-gauge is jammed through the clutch and brake cables, across the handlebars. The lights flow over Jaune's wrap-around sunglasses like the tracks of tracer rounds.**

**The First Street Bridge. Rusting chain-link fence and graffiti- covered walls. An L.A.P.D. black-and-white cruises the empty street.**

**A tremendous blue-white glare suddenly spills out between the columns of the overpass. The young uniformed cop in the car whips his head around at the source of the light. He pulls over quickly, in time to see the powerfully arcing electrical discharge reaches its peak between the columns. Lightning climbs the chain-link fence and light standards, lighting up the night, and papers swirl in a blasting whirlwind.**

*Gasp* "Another time traveler?" Ruby asks.

Yang scratches her head, "Maybe this one was sent as backup." It would make sense. If the Resistance had access to time travel, why _wouldn't_ they send the future savior of Humanity and Faunus-kind as many protectors as possible to ensure his safety?

Weiss shakes her head, "But didn't Winter mention earlier how only one traveler was a protector? That one was a Terminator?" She was deeply worried for her future nephew, even if the father was Jaune. 'And he went back to save his son.' She swooned a bit at how clearly protective this Jaune was for his family.

Yang shrugged it off, "Eh, so what?" She grinned at her friends, "Did you see how badass Jaune was in that bar? No way he'll lose to a droid!" They were hoping she was right, and that Jaune would be enough to take on whatever machine Skynet would send.

**The cop climbs from his cruiser as the glow fades. He sees vapor dissipating as he approaches the spot where he saw the strange light. He draws his revolver and cautiously moves into the shadows between the rows of pillars. A naked man glides from a shadowed doorway behind the cop. Nothing special about him. Certainly not built like a Terminator. The flash of light and the fact that he is naked are good clues that he just arrived from the future. His features are handsome bordering on severe. His eyes are indigo, and his hair a burnt orange. Penetrating. Intelligent.**

Many of the students' jaws dropped, recognizing who this person was. Many, like Blake, Chibi-Blake, and Velvet, all glared at the figure. Though they all stopped and instead clutched their faces in pain once they noticed the state Cardin was in. "My eyes! They _burn_!"

**The cop spins at a sound. Too late. Cardin is already on him. The blow is lighting fast, and the cop drops like a bag of sand. As the unconscious cop hits the deck, his Beretta 9mm Automatic clattering next to him. Cardin hand leans closer to the body and picks up the pistol.**

Some flinched back at how easily Cardin dispatched the cop.

"Oh, that poor man." Summer softly said, knowing that the man was just minding his own business and didn't deserve to run into the other traveler.

**Highly polished black shoes rounding the rear tire of the police cruiser. Following the shoes, we see as Cardin, dressed now in LAPD blue, climbs behind the wheel. He looks and acts exactly like a cop. Cool, alert, confident in his power, his expression emotionless and judgmental. He sees a computer terminal, attached to the dash. Putting in the name Flinch Schnee, information begins to pull up.**

**A Juvenile Division files. Subject: Finch Schnee. Below his arrest record are his vital stats. Mother: Winter Schnee. Legal Guardians: Mercury and Cinder Fall. And below their names, an address: 523 S. Almond. Reseda, Atlas.**

Winter's jaw dropped in disbelief. "Why does my son have a criminal record?!" She shouts as Qrow laughs at this fact. She turns to the man and glares harshly, "Shut it you drunk!"

James pinched himself, wondering if he was dreaming.

Willow, Weiss, and Whitley couldn't believe their future nephew/grandbaby was a juvenile delinquent. Though maybe the fact that Cinder and Mercury, two criminals, were his legal guardians was behind it? 'Yes, that must be the reason.' They refused to believe that any child of Winter could possibly be a criminal.

Said two criminals blinked at this, not knowing why they were fostering a brat.

**Officer Cardin stares at the screen for a moment, puts the car in gear and drives into the night.**

**Finch Schnee, who at his moment is ten years old and busy reassembling the carburetor on his Honda 125 dirt bike. He has ripped Levi's and long stringy hair. A sullen mouth. Eyes which reveal an intelligence as sharp as a scalpel. The Ramones' "I Wanna Be Sedated" blasts from a boom box next to him.**

Winter turns away from the infuriating man, but not without leaving a parting glare, to look at her precious baby boy, and seeing the level of ingenuity given his young age she couldn't help but to smile in pride.

James nodded with a slight smirk. Weeing the intelligence of his top operative's son on display, a sense of pride wells up inside.

Yang giggled, seeing a bit of Ruby in this Finch kid when she was that age.

Ruby felt like smacking her sister for some reason.

**A woman, Cinder Fall, stands in the doorway of the garage, yelling over the music.**

**"...Finch? Finch! Get in here right now and clean up that pigsty of yours." She yells to him.**

The grin's gone, replaced with a frown as Winter glares at the woman who's yelling at her sweet little baby.

**Finch's friend Helios, a thirteen-year-old Hispanic Monkey Faunus, watches as Finch replies by turning up the volume on the boom box.**

**Cinder gives up with a slam of the house's back door.**

**"Your foster parents are kinda dicks, right?" Helios asked after sensing the tension.**

The students all laugh at the boy's short and crass description, while Cinder is thinking of ways to make that little brat pay for that.

**"Gimme that Phillips right there." Finch ordered, ignoring Helios question.**

**Cinder storms into the room. Mercury Fall, her husband, watches sports on the TV. They're both in their thirties. Middle-class working stiffs.**

None of the villains said anything, surprised that _Cinder_ was married.

Once the shock of their marital status wore off, Cinder turns to glare so fiercely at Mercury, that it causes him to freeze up as his body brakes out in a cold sweat. "Mercury," she growls, "if I find out that _you're_ the reason Mr. Arc decided to go for the Schnee woman, instead of myself…" She left the threat hanging, believing that Jaune only chose the boring Schnee over her because her other was in a relationship already.

Mercury could only shiver as he curls up into a ball, trying to make as small a target for his boss's wrath as he could. He was too scared to even glare at Emerald who was snickering at his misfortune.

**"I swear I've had it with that goddamn kid. He won't even answer me." Cinder complained. Neither does he.**

**"Mercury? Are you gonna sit there or are you gonna do something?" She asks/demands him.**

**He sighs, throws down the TV's remote and heads for the garage.**

The glare worsens, if that were possible, and Mercury is now silently pleading for the scene to just move on before he get roasted alive!

**Finch hops on the bike. Kick-starts it. Helios picks up Finch's nylon bag, then climbs on the back. Mercury enters and shouts over the engine, which Finch revs louder and louder.**

**"Finch! Get your ass inside right now and do what your mother says!" Mercury shouted.**

**Finch pins Mercury with a defiant glare.**

**"She's not my mother, Mercury!" Finch said.**

Winter firmly nods at his declaration, 'That's right you uncultured swine, _I_ am!' Though that did raise the question, just where was she?

**He revs the engine and peels out of the garage, with Helios almost falling off the back. They take off down the street.**

**A sign on a chain link fence topped with concertina wire reads: Pescadero State Hospital For The Criminally Insane. Beyond it squats an imposing four-story building. Institutional brick. Barred windows. About as inviting as KGB headquarters. Security guards patrol the manicured grass.**

**Sunlight is a barred slash on the bare institutional wall. The room is empty of all furnishings save the bed, a stainless-steel sink, toilet, and a dented metal mirror. The audience hears a rhythmic grunting, small explosions of breath in perfectly measured intervals. A bedframe leaned upright against the wall, legs facing outward. A pair of sweaty hands grip one leg. Tendons knot and release as someone does pull-ups. A mane of tangled hair hides the face that pulls up, dips out, and comes back.**

**A woman in a tank top and hospital pants in hanging from the top leg of the vertical bedframe. Her body is straight and taut. Knees bent so the feet clear the ground. The arms are lean and muscular. The inmate, face hidden, pulls up, dips, pulls up. Like a machine. No change in rhythm.**

**Figures move down a corridor of polished tile and two- tone walls. Dr. Oobleck, a smug criminal psychologist, leads a group of young interns. Following laconically, are three burly attendants.**

Those who knew the man felt that Oobleck working in a psychiatric hospital was about right for him.

**"The next patient is a 29-year old female diagnosed as acute schizo-affective disorder. The usual indicators... depression, anxiety, violent acting-out, delusions of persecution." Oobleck said to the interns.**

**The interns nod judiciously.**

**He continues his explanation, "The delusional architecture is interesting. She believes a machine called a 'Terminator', which looks human of course, was sent back though time to kill her. And, that the father of her child was a soldier, sent to protect her... he was from the future too...The year 2029, if I remember correctly." He finishes with a smile. The interns chuckle.**

"Wait…" Weiss says.

**"Here we are."**

**Oobleck stops at one of the soundproof steel doors. There is a two- way speaker beneath a tiny window. Oobleck flips the intercom switch.**

**"'Morning, Winter." Oobleck said.**

"What?!" Willow shouts, getting up from her chair as she hears her daughter's name leave the doctor's lips.

**She turns slowly to reveal herself. Winter Schnee is not the same woman she was remembered as. Her eyes peer out through a wild tangle of hair like those of a cornered animal. Defiant and intense but skittering around looking for escape at the same time. Fight or flight. Down one cheek is a long scar, from just below the eye to her upper lip.**

"My baby!" Willow shouts as she looks at her child's disheveled appearance.

Weiss, while horrified at the state her sister was in, was a bit confused about the conflicting information. If Dr. Oobleck was telling the truth, and Finch's father was sent to a point further back into the past… 'Then who's the father?'

**"Good morning, Dr. Oobleck. How's the knee?" She asks in a chilling tone.**

**Oobleck's smug composure drops a second. Then returns.**

**"Fine, Winter." He said.**

**He then switches off the intercom and speaks to the interns. "She, uh... stabbed me in the kneecap with my pen a few weeks ago."**

Nora chuckles, and gives a thumbs up to the Winter in the audience as the older woman just facepalms in embarrassment.

**Winter watches them talking about her through the glass but can't hear them. She feels like a lab animal. The interns look in at her through the glass as Oobleck talks. With her face drawn, eyes haggard and hair wild, she looks like she belongs where she is.**

Winter's family growls at this, not liking the man's thoughts towards her.

**"Let's move on, shall we?" Oobleck asks as the continue their journey. As the interns walk on, Oobleck steps close to Douglas, the head attendant, and speaks low.**

**"Douglas, I don't like seeing the patients disturbing their rooms like this. See that she takes her Thorazine, would you?" Oobleck asked.**

**Douglas is 6'4", 250 pounds, and as warm-hearted as a rattlesnake. He nods, catching Oobleck's meaning, and gestures for the other attendants to hang back as Oobleck moves on in his rounds.**

Weiss clenches her fists, not liking the idea of this man drugging up her sister.

James was of a similar mind. He desperately wanted to go over there and snap that man's, 'Douglas?', spine in half.

Willow and Whitley scowled at the brute attempting such a thing. Willow didn't want her baby to be hurt or drugged; and even though he didn't have a high opinion for her, Winter was still his sister and Whitley wouldn't want her to be in this _prison_ any longer.

**Winter looks up as the cell door opens. Douglas walks in slowly, idly tapping his police baton against the door in an ominous rhythm. The other two orderlies ease in behind him. One of them carries a stun baton like a sawed-off cattle prod. The other has a tray with cups of red liquid-Thorazine.**

**"Time to take your meds, Schnee." Douglas said.**

**Winter faces him, weight centered. Feral eyes darting from one to the other.**

**"You take it." Winter said.**

Even with her being outnumbered, with no weapons, and in no condition to fight, many had to commend the woman's desire to at least try to hold them off.

Yang grinned and raised a fist to the air, "That's right! Kick their asses!" Nora and Coco joining her with Ren and Velvet trying to get their partners to calm down.

**"Now you know you got to be good cause you up for review this afternoon." Douglas said.**

**"I'm not taking it. Now I don't want any trouble." Winter said as she didn't want to drink that awful medicine.**

**"Ain't no trouble at all." Douglas said quietly.**

**He whips the baton in a whistling backhand, which takes her square in the stomach ("Cheap shot!"). She doubles over and drops to her knees, unable to breathe. Douglas tips the bed and it slams down with a crash, right next to her. He takes the stun wand from the other attendant and walks forward.**

**Winter, grimacing and struggling to breathe, said "You... son of a... AAARRGH!"**

**The stun wand hits her between shoulder blades as she tries to rise. It drives her to the floor, pinning her like a bug. Little electric arcs crackle as the baton makes her writhe in pain. He then grabs her by the hair and jerks her up to her knees. He holds the cup of Thorazine in front of her lips.**

The fight was over, but the respect for the woman not backing down was still there.

**"Last call, sugar." He says as he pours it down her throat. Gasping, she chokes the zombie juice down. Douglas and one of the orderlies close her mouth to force her to swallow it. After she swallow her medicine, Douglas and the orderlies leave the room.**

**Officer Cardin pulls up on the address that he looked at earlier. He stares at the screen for a moment to confirm the location, then gets out the car.**

Winter sighs in relief, knowing that the machine missed her son (3).

**From the inside of the house, we hear Cardin knocking on the door and we see Mercury Fall opening it, revealing the unsmiling face of Officer Cardin beyond the screen door. Mercury greets him with a weary sigh.**

"_Kill_ him, do it he's right there." Cinder growled, while Mercury cowered in his seat, hoping that his other would survive this encounter.

Salem raised an eyebrow at her underling's continuing odd behavior.

**"Are you the legal guardian of Finch Schnee?" Cardin asked.**

**"That's right, Officer. What's he done now?" Mercury asked.**

**Cinder appears in the doorway behind Mercury, concerned.**

**"Could I speak with him, please?" Cardin asked sweetly and with a little concern.**

**Mercury shrugs, showing the cop he's past his patience with the boy. "Well, you could if he were here. He took off on his bike this morning. Could be anywhere." He said.**

**"Do you have a photograph of Finch?" (Winter: "Don't you dare!")**

**Mercury gestures to Cinder to get one and then asks Cardin. "You gonna tell me what this is about?"**

**"I just need to ask him a few questions." He answered as Cinder handed him the photograph and he look at the photo for a few seconds. "He's a good-looking boy. Do you mind if I keep this picture?"**

**"No, go on. There was a guy here this morning looking for him too." Cinder said.**

**"Yeah, big guy on a bike. Has that got something to do with this?" Mercury asked.**

"Oh no, Jaune missed him!" Velvet gasped, causing the heroes to worry. While Cardin didn't catch him, Finch was still out there with no one to protect him! 'Oh, and that other child too!' she quickly thought.

Winter could only hope Jaune would save their son soon.

**Officer Cardin registers the significance of that. He realizes who the big guy must be. He smiles. Reassuringly shakes his head no. "No. I wouldn't worry about him. Thank you for your cooperation." he says. He then starts to leave.**

Mercury breathes a sigh of relief, while Cinder curses in her head at how close her other was to changing her status to 'Single and ready to mingle'.

**Finch furtively hunches before a Ready-Teller machine at the rear of a local bank while his friend Helios stands lookout. Finch slips a stolen ATM card into the machine slot. It is something he's rigged up, because trailing from the card is ribbon-wire which goes to some kind of black-box electronics unit he's got in his ever-present knapsack. He holds the pack between his knees and pulls out a little lap-top keyboard, which is also connected to the black-box.**

"Uh, what's he doing?" Ruby asks, getting shrugs in response.

**Finch enters a few commands and the plasma-screen displays the PIN number for that account. He quickly enters the number on the Ready- Teller's keypad and asks it for 300 bucks. The machine whirs then begin dispensing twenty-dollar bills. Helios looks back over his shoulder amazed.**

Nora points to the screen, "He's stealing cash!"

Winter shakes her head in denial, refusing to admit that her sweet baby boy was stealing money.

**"Easy money!" Finch said exciting.**

**"Where'd you learn all this stuff?" Helios questioned.**

Winter glares at Cinder and Mercury, believing it was those two who taught him this awful skill. 'Oh, my sweet little angel, what have those two made you do?' She wiped a small tear away, seeing her precious boy acting like a criminal. 'My other better make them pay!'

**Finch collects the twenties as the machine kicks them out. A cool and professional electronic-age thief at ten years old.**

**"From my mom. My real mom, I mean. Come on man," he grabs the last bills, "let's go!" Finch said.**

Everyone became silent. The heroes were stunned, the Schnees were horrified.

Winter didn't know what to believe. 'How could my other be so irresponsible?!' Her train of thought ended once she heard Qrow laughing at her.

"HAHAHA! Looks like it was little miss perfect's kid was- Hrk!" Winter didn't let the drunk to finish his blatant lie as she leaped out of her seat and began strangling him.

**They sprint around the corner and huddle behind the building as Finch counts out Helios's share. He folds five twenties and palms them to the other kid. When Finch opens his wallet to put in his money, Helios notices a picture in a plastic sleeve.**

**"That her?" Helios asked.**

**Finch reluctantly shows his friend the Polaroid. It is a shot of Winter. Pregnant, in a jeep near the Vacuo border. Finch doesn't know it now, but he will carry the photo with him for over 30 years, and give it to a young man named Qrow Branwen, who will travel back in time to become his father.**

Qrow was too busy choking to give a response to the newest tidbit, but Winter was more than happy to reply for both. "You drunken _bastard_! It was _you_!" She shouted in rage, immediately pinning the blame of her son's behavior on him despite the fact he died before Finch was born.

Weiss and Whitley were disgusted by this. They didn't want _another_ drunk in the family, even if their mother was cured, so they stood up and cheered their sister on. No way were they going to have that drunk marry their sister!

Willow glared at Qrow, 'How _dare_ he touch my little angel!' Through the limited interactions she saw between those two, she knew that any relationship between them would end up as badly or worse than her own with Jacques.

Tai, Summer, and a _very_ reluctant Raven ran over to pry the pissed off Schnee away from the male Branwen once they saw how quickly his face was turning blue.

"It's all your fault! He got his behavior from you!" Summer and Raven grabbed her arms and pulled, while Tai went to unwrap her surprisingly strong grip on his friend's neck. "Let me go! I'll murder him!"

They finally managed to separate the two, but not before she kicked him in his crotch as hard as she could in an effort to make sure that he couldn't have children.

After a few minutes of Winter calming down, and Qrow whimpering in pain, the scene continued.

**"So, she's pretty cool, huh? Helios asked.**

**"Actually no, she's a complete psycho. That's why she's up at Pescedero. She tries to blow up a computer factory, but she got shot and arrested." Finch said.**

**"No shit?" Helios asked.**

**"Yeah, she's a total loser. C'mon, let's go spend some money." Finch said.**

Every word from her son was like a dagger through her heart, and she glared at Qrow's crumpled form, blaming his genes as the cause for Finch calling her such hurtful names.

**Finch has tried to sound casual, but we see in his eyes that is really hurts. He slaps Helios on the shoulder, and they jump onto his Honda. Finch fires up and they whine off down the alley.**

**Angle through an alley from the main street. We see Finch and Helios flash by on the Honda a block away. Hold a beat. Then... a big chrome wheel shows up. Rising upward, we see a leather-clad leg to show Jaune's implacable face (Yang: "Damnit, he was so close!"). He surveys the area slowly as the bike idles, then kicks it into gear and moves on, scanning in a slow shark-like manner, not aware that it missed its prey by seconds.**

**Back to Winter, we see she is shackled, hands and feet, to the bed. Sunlight falls across her pale face. A hand enter frame, gently stroking her cheek. She wakes up to see Qrow Branwen. Sitting on the edge of her bed, looking exactly the same as we last saw him in 1984. Scruffy Black hair and a long raincoat.**

**"Qrow? You're dead." Winter said, not believing what she was seeing.**

**"Where's our son, Winter?" Qrow asked with his voice strangely cold.**

She growled at the tone this Qrow was using.

"It's not me." Qrow whispered, having recovered from having his boys nearly crushed and not wanting the woman's rage directed at him again so soon. 'Gonna whizz red.'

**"They took him away from me." Winter answered.**

**"He's the target now." Qrow said as he begins to remove the shackle.**

"Wait, if Uncle Qrow is *gulp* _dead_," Ruby starts, barely able to say that last word, "then how is he here, and able to take off her shackle?"

**"I know!" Winter exclaimed.**

**"He's all alone. You have to protect him." Qrow said.**

**"I know. You tell me how I am supposed to do that. He doesn't even believe in me anymore. I've lost him." Winter replied.**

**"You're strong Winter. Stronger than you ever thought you could be. On your feet, soldier!" Qrow exclaimed. He lifts her up, but she just sits on his leg and kisses him on his cheek and neck.**

**"I love you Winter. I always will." Qrow said.**

Winter felt sick to her stomach and wanted to gouge her eyes out so she wouldn't bear witness to this.

**"I need you." Winter said.**

**"I'll always be with you." Qrow said as he stops her for a second and looks her in the eye. "Remember the message? The future is not set. There is not fate but what we make for ourselves."**

**Winter closes her eyes but for a moment but when she opens them again, he's gone. She looks around and sees him at the door.**

**"Stay with me." Winter said.**

**"There's not much time left in the world, Winter." He replies as he goes out the door. Winter jumps from the bed, frantic, and yanks the door open. Winter staggers from her cell and we see Qrow is already, impossibly, a hundred feet away, striding down the dim corridor. A silhouette in a long coat, disappearing around a corner.**

**"Qrow, don't go!" Winter exclaimed as she runs after him, her bare feet slapping the cold linoleum. Her hospital gown floats out behind her as she dream-runs along the seemingly infinite corridor. She reaches the corner, slides around it, and it leads her to a door. She goes through it and emerges into...A beautiful sunlight morning. Children were playing nearby... sliding down slides, clambering through a jungle gym. Winter knows this dream now... This is the worst of all her nightmares. She starts to scream but no sound comes out. The sky explodes into white light.**

**Then she wakes up... in her cell, shackled to the bed.**

"Oh, so it was a dream." Ruby said, a bit creeped out by the imagery.

A few felt that _maybe_ it was for the best that the people placed this version of Winter in the hospital.

**Sunlight hurts her eyes. She looks desperate and defeated. She knows the war is coming. It visits her every time she closes her eyes. Lost and alone, Winter feels all hope recede for herself and for humanity.**

**Moving to a Video screen, playing a previously recorded session. Winter is laying her head across her arms, talking softly.**

**"... It's... like a giant strobe light, burning right through my eyes... but somehow I can still see. Look, you know the dream's the same every night, why do I have to –" Video Winter said.**

**"Please continue." Video Oobleck said.**

**The real Winter dispassionately watches herself on the screen. Her expression is controlled. Oobleck watches her watching. They are in a brightly lit interview room. Two attendants stand nearby.**

**"The children look like burnt paper... black, not moving. Then the blast wave hits them, and they fly apart like leaves." Video Winter said.**

**Video Winter can't go on. The real Winter watches herself cry on tape, her expression cold. We hear Oobleck speak on the tape.**

**"Dreams about cataclysm or the end of the world are very common, Winter." Video Oobleck said.**

**"It's not just a dream. It's real, you moron! I know the date is happens!" Video Winter shouted, her mood shifting to sudden rage.**

**"I'm sure it feels very real to you–" Video Oobleck said as he got interrupted.**

**"On August 29th 1997 it's going to feel pretty fucking real to you, too! Anybody not wearing number two million sunblock in going to have a real bad day, get it?" Video Winter asked.**

**"Relax now, Winter–" Video Winter said trying to calm her down but interrupted again.**

**"You think you're alive and safe, but you're already dead. Everybody, you, him, everybody... you're all fucking dead!" Video Winter shouted.**

**She is raving, half out of her chair. The orderly moves to inject her with something.**

**"You're the one living in a dream, Oobleck, not me! Because I know it happens. It happens!" Video Winter exclaimed.**

Even though the audience knew the truth, they had to admit that if anyone had walked up to them to spout words like that, they would've slowly walked away and immediately called for the authorities to take away the clearly raving lunatic.

**Oobleck pauses the tape... freezing Winter's contorted face. Real Winter turns away from the screen, he expression stony.**

**"…I was afraid... and confused. I feel much better, now. Clearer." Winter said.**

"Well that's a lie" Black says, seeing the emotions in her eyes even if she has an incredibly good blank mask on.

Weiss flinched at this, causing the Faunus to apologize.

**Oobleck gives a calculated paternal smile. "Yes. Your attitude has been very positive lately."**

**Winter looks up at him with her voice is hopeful. "It has helped me a lot to have a goal, something to look forward to."**

**"And what it that?" Oobleck asked.**

**"You said I could be transferred to the minimum-security wing and have visitors if I showed improvement in six months. Well, it's been six months, and I was looking forward to seeing my son." Winter admits.**

Winter smiled, her heart filling with hope. Sure, she was still pissed at who the true father was, 'I still need to confirm how successful my kick was', but she was hoping for her other to have her baby in her arms once more.

The other parents smiled as well, wanting the mother and son to be together again.

Yang palmed a fist to her palm, "Yeah, Finch needs _someone_ to protect him from Cardin!" Her friends nod, while Winter's eyes widened. She completely forgot about that!

Qrow was just hoping that she would be able to make it to their kid. 'I don't think I'll ever get used to that.' He shivered from phantom pains, thinking it may be for the best if he never did as he cupped his boys. 'I think I felt one of them pop for a second.'

**"I see. Let's go back to what you were saying about these Terminator machines. Now you think they don't exist?" Oobleck asked.**

**As she answers, it is revealed that we have been looking through a one-way mirror from an adjacent observation room. In the shadows of the observation room we see that interns from the earlier rounds, and a couple of staff psychologists. They smoke and make the occasional note.**

**"They don't exist. I see that now." Winter said.**

**"But you've told me on many occasions about how you crushed one in a hydraulic press." Oobleck said, confused.**

**"If I had, there would have been some evidence. They would have found something at the factory." Winter simply explains.**

**"I see. So, you don't believe anymore that the company covered it up?" Oobleck asked for clarification.**

**Winter shakes her head no.**

Many wanted to know whether this company really did cover whatever evidence Winter claimed was there.

**The corporate headquarters of a mega-electronic corporation. As imposing cubist castle of black glass. And within it, not a lab coat in sight. This is strictly jeans and sneakers crowd. All young and bright. They sit at their consoles drinking Mountain Glen and changing technology as we know it. A young lab assistant rushes over to a mid-thirties man on a mission. Name tag says he's Bryant.**

**"Mr. Coal? The material teams want to run another test on the uh... on it." Bryant said.**

**The man is revealed to be Flynt Coal, a mid-thirties man who is the backbone and soul of this division.**

Seeing an older version of the leader of team FNKY, more than a few flinched as they glanced at the display holding Seele Schneider with fear.

James bowed his head in regret for his actions in that other future scenario.

**"Yup. Come on. I'll get it." Flynt said.**

**Flynt produces an unusual-looking key from his pocket as they stride through the lab. Bryant having to hustle to keep up.**

**"Listen, Mr. Coal, I know I haven't been here that long, but I was wondering if you could tell me... I mean, if you know..." Bryant said.**

**"Know what?" Flynt asked.**

**"Well... where it came from." Bryant said.**

**"I asked them that question once. Know what they told me? Don't ask." Flynt said.**

**Flynt enters with Bryant. Flynt and a guard stand together before what looks like a high-tech bank vault. It requires two keys to open, like the launch controls in a nuclear silo. The guard and Flynt insert their keys and turn them simultaneously. Flynt then enters a passcode at a console and the vault unlocks itself with a sequence of clunks. The door swings open and Flynt enters. Bryant stays outside with the guard, who notes Flynt's name and item on a clipboard.**

**Flynt walks to a stainless-steel cabinet and opens it. Inside is a small artifact in a sealed container of inert gas. It - a ceramic rectangle, about the size of a domino, the color of liver. It has been shattered, painstakingly reconstructed and mounted on a metal frame.**

**Flynt removes the artifact and then closes the cabinet. Turns to the one next to it. Opens its door. In this cabinet is a larger object... an intricate metal hand and forearm.**

Penny shivered at the severed limb and wrapped her arms around herself as if she were trying to protect them.

Seeing her clear distraught, Ruby quickly went over to hug her friend.

Some thought that the limb looked familiar.

**At the elbow, the metal is twisted and crushed. But the forearm and hand are intact. Its metal surface scorched and discolored, it stands upright in a vacuum flask, as if saluting. This is all that remains of the Terminator Winter destroyed. Flynt stares at it, lost in thought.**

Now they remembered where they saw a limb like that, the Terminators from the beginning of the viewing! "That must be the evidence that Winter was alluding to." Glynda said, earning nods from the teachers and students.

**We can see through the one-way mirror into the interview room where Winter is still talking with Oobleck. The other psychologists are still watching through the mirror, reviewing Winter's condition.**

**"So what do you think, Doctor? I've shown a lot of improvement, haven't I?" Winter asked.**

**"…You see, Winter... here's the problem." Oobleck starts out "I know how smart you are, and I think you're just telling me what I want to hear. I don't think you really believe who you've been telling me today. I think that if we put you in minimum security, that you would just try and escape again."**

**We go tight on Winter's reaction. And we see that Oobleck is right. She was playing him, and it didn't work. And she knows she's fucked.**

**Her tone becomes a quite pleading. "You have to let me see my son. Please. He's in great danger. At least let me call him" She begs.**

"Yeah, ya jerk!" Neo shouts, hugging her daughter like she would disappear on her, "The kid's in danger and he's your only chance to survive!"

Winter was shocked by the thief's words but seeing the walking ice-cream cone hugging her own child, she could see that it was the protective nature of a fellow mother speaking through her. Still, she was grateful all the same.

**Oobleck pins her with a stern gaze "I'm afraid not. Not for a while. I don't see any choice but to recommend to the review board that you stay here another six months." He says as he starts putting things away.**

**Winter's eyes turn cold and lethal in one second. She knows she's lost. She knows this guy is just playing with her, and she leaps across the table at him. She grabs his tie and chokes him with it**

**"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Winter cursed.**

**Oobleck jumps back and the attendants dive on her. She is writhing and twisting like a bobcat.**

**"Goddamn it, Let me go! Oobleck! You don't know what you're doing! You mother fucker! You're dead! You hear me!" Winter shouted.**

The parents were sympathetic. They knew that if anyone were to try and separate their children from them, they would absolutely tear them apart.

**Oobleck signals and the attendants drag her out. He looks at the doctors behind the glass. Shrugs.**

**"Model citizen." He says sarcastically (Neo: "Sarcastic little shit").**

**Jaune cruises slowly on the bike, scanning. He crosses an overpass above a drainage canal and whips his head around at the sound of a dirt-bike engine.**

**Jaune's POV – of two kids on a bike down in the canal. The image snap-zooms in. Freezes on the driver's face. "IDENT POSSITIVE" Flashes next to the blurry image of Finch.**

**Jaune wheels the Harley around, cutting onto a street which runs parallel to the canal. Jaune hauls ass at keep Finch in sight.**

"Woohoo!" Nora cheered, "Jaune to the rescue!" Her friends cheered along, except for Penny.

For a while now, the girl had been thinking of different possibilities for why Jaune's vision is like that. The image on-screen had her narrowing her eyes. Then it hit her, and her eyes open in shock. 'He's not human!'

**Officer Cardin has stopped two young girls in front of a 7-Eleven. He is leaning out the cruiser window and showing them the picture of Finch.**

**"You just missed him. He was here about like fifteen minutes ago." First Girl said as she turned the second girl on her left. "Think he said he was going to the Galleria, right?"**

**"Yeah." Second Girl replied.**

**"The Galleria?" Officer Cardin asked.**

"Oh, those little snitches, they led him right to the kid!" Roman growled. He never like snitches, bad for business, but those two brats could very well have doomed them all. 'And I like living, thank you very much!'

**Jaune's idling Harley shakes the parking garage walls. He stops at a row of bikes near the escalators where Finch's little Honda sits proudly with the big street bikes. Jaune parks.**

**In a crowed video arcade. Finch is lost in an intense battle, going for a new high score at "Missile Command".**

**Jaune is seen walking through the crowd in slow motion, scanning. He moves with methodical purpose, knowing the target is close. We see that he is, incredibly, carrying a box of long-stem roses. Like some hopeful guy with a hot date.**

His friends laughed at the comedic image, not expecting him to be carrying that.

**Officer Cardin is moving through the flow of shoppers. The place is a zoo. He stops some kids and shows them the picture. They shrugged.**

**Finch losses his game and he slouches away from the game, looking for another. Completely Bored.**

"Don't slouch, it's bad for your back." Winter says, then blinked in confusion. She didn't mean to say that out loud. Her cheeks flushes a bit as her family chuckle a bit.

**Officer Cardin passes the entrance of the store behind him but due to not seeing Finch, he moves on, down the concourse, out of sight.**

"So, it's come to this." Ozpin says, feeling enough time has passed where he didn't need to fear Glynda's wrath anymore. "It's now only a matter of whom will reach young Finch first."

The heroes, Winter especially, hope that Jaune makes it there first.

**END**

**Man, that took forever, and ****I'm sure you'll all notice this, but I've been trying to get as much of the audience's gifts into the chapter as I could. I **_**wanted**_** to do this sooner, but the first crash I had made me forget about it as I was too focused trying to recover my shit.**

**Speaking of crashes, as ****NoNameNoBrain**** posted in the latest review: my computer crashed again, this time for good ****. And with the virus going around, I couldn't get a new one for the last month. I borrowed one from a friend for a few days, but that was mostly for my finals. I still made sure to purchase a new one and it arrived on the 19****th ****(which is great for me since it was supposed to come on the 20****th****). I had to spend the last couple days trying to recover what I could, but it's not looking good. I lost a **_**ton**_** of work and ideas. Most of which I'll never be able to get back! Now while I can eventually get some of my ideas to come back to me, the effort of going through with them will be difficult. So, here's a list of the works that are lost and won't be pursuing anymore:**

**X-Men**

**Logan**

**Deadpool**

**Kim Possible**** (can't remember which episode anymore)**

**John Wick: Pencil scene**

**Twisted Metal**** (wanted to show Ozpin be Sweet tooth and Jaune as Calypso, you should know what happens next; wanted to tie that in with the Joker for Death Battle, remember how Joker didn't have his gas in "The Dark Knight", but did in DB? That was why. I had him have the gas in "Why So Serious?" to use it on DB. Wanted Salem and Oz to cheer Joker Jaune in the fight to kill Sweet tooth Oz. I'm still doing Death Battle though, just going to be without this for reference.)**

**Let's Play: Heist**** (Jaune and a few others rob the 24/7 store [thought it could raise good reactions from the thieves in the audience, seeing how the crew was robbing a **_**grocery store**_**, Velvet was gonna be Gavin! :'( ], and the whole thing ending with Jaune blasting his accomplice in the head + his Viking funeral. The audience finding out that what they saw was a game and not real life all along in the end.)**

**The Transporter**** (can't remember who the character placements were anymore)**

**Archer: Baby Shower**** (wanted to have Nora sing 'Danger Zone' with Spruce Willis [real life Bruce is a singer as well as an actor]; Jaune was gonna be Archer, Yang as Launa, Oz as Woodhouse, and Salem as Malerie [I imagined Tai's reaction to her baby pregnant, and Salem's on how Oz is treated: "-Because I own him!"]. Completely lost and I don't have the heart to redo it.)**

**Terminator Genesis: Possible Future**** (A world where Cinder's hacking of the CCT, Atlas' computer systems, and most importantly **_**Penny**_** could've spelled doom for Humanity: "Penny is Skynet." Since Penny is human now, and I'm working on something else to get James to not invest in a central systems core linking to all their droids, I guess it's a moot point now [it's not Star Wars].)**

**High School DxD**** (can't even remember what episode or scene it was so long ago)**

**Fast & the Furious: Trailer**

**The Flintstones Movie**** (can't remember which though)**

**These are the ones that while lost, I'm still going to pursue.**

**Independence Day**** (since this was barely a concept, I'm not sad about losing this one, so I'm willing to redo it later.)**

**Independence Day 2: Possible Future**** (while lost, was only in the beginning planning stages as well so I can at least still go ahead with that one too.)**

**Demon Academy episode 1**** (same ol' Jaune: going to a school that is completely out of his element. But instead of going to a Huntsman Academy, he's sent to Hell to attend school with demons. Again, barely a concept, so I didn't really lose anything there.)**

**Guardians of the Galaxy**** (This is the **_**second**_** time now that I've lost the damn thing, I swear this storyline is cursed! I originally wanted to have it as a possible future scenario that takes place a few weeks after Forever Falls. I was actually quite proud of this one, and it devastated me when I lost it. The second time was towards the OG movie timeline so that I could do Vol 2 later. Since it would've taken me weeks to redo the whole thing, not to mention the movie scenes afterwards, I decided to go with the movie version with Vol 2 after the crash, but now I lost that version too! I've decided to try my original idea one more time.)**

**There are a ton more that are now lost, but those were barely concepts, or I just can't remember anymore. Other, more complete ones were lost too but luckily what was lost were just reactions, the original works were made by other authors. My promise to do the MCU is still in the running, so you can still look forward to that (Iron Man [all], Avengers [all], and Civil War [since Stark is one of the leaders]).**

**Right now, I'm just trying to move forward with new material and trying to remember anything else I've missed. I hope to see you next time with the next installment (can't even remember what the title for the next one is so I guess it's a surprise). Now, I'll try to get the next chapter out for next seek, but if what happened a month ago taught me anything, it's that shit happens. Until then, peace!**

**1\. ****Argus456****'s gift. Sure, the album shows the good times JNPR's had, but you think that wouldn't also entail stuff like Alice going through life? Pyrrha would kill anyone who'd try to rob her of that.**

**2\. That 'vision' she had with Jaune and her having sex on top of Oz's office, and desk, and making a mess of both. Ozpin found out when he was going up the elevator and saw them as they 'finished'. He then forced them to leave while he went and set fire to his now sullied office.**

**3\. The reason why everyone suspects Cardin to be the evil Terminator is because, well, it's Cardin. Yeah, it's a separate universe, but the students would rather have faith that Jaune is a good guy, than admit to Cardin being Finch's, and ultimately the world's, protector. And since everyone saw the students' reactions, they went with it. Sorry if anyone wanted them to guess which was which but given how **_**Cardin**_** was the other guy… yeah.**


	24. Judgement Day Pt 2

**Chapter 23: "Judgement Day" Pt. 2**

**Hello everybody! I see that quite a few of you were upset by the list I posted in the last chapter. I do apologize for that. Also, for those who are requesting extra scenes from Terminator 2, commenting how some scenes were cut, or complaining about the character placements: I didn't have anything to do with the creation of this crossover, only the reactions and editing that the author had agreed to. I will say this again: ****Lukepace414**** was the one who made the crossover. I believe I have already established that in the beginning of last chapter and the end of chapter 21. Lastly, and not to be a dick or anything, but has no one seen Terminator 2 yet? Why do I keep having people telling me in reviews and PM's that Jaune's the villain here? Jack took out a blue orb, not a red one. The audience saw him take it, which also helps explain why they didn't question if Jaune was the evil time traveler (but since the other **_**was**_** Cardin, that was a sucker's bet from the beginning).**

**Now, onto the reviews.**

**Multiverse walker****: Well, Jaune **_**is**_** naked for a good portion of his entrance **_**and**_** has Arnold's body and deep voice. This is also the first time they've seen a naked Jaune with no prior warning, I think overreactions are a must for this.**

**Keybladelight****: I **_**could've**_** given Jaune a Vader mask, but then I would've had to figure out how he gets so injured in the first place. Anakin had to don his mask because his lungs were damaged by all the ash he inhaled as well as him getting lit up like a piece of firewood. Jaune and Oz's fight was over a lake of Grimm sludge, not lava; and I couldn't think of a practical reason for Salem to have one. Lighting? She has those gigantic crystals for that. Intimidation? For whom, barely anyone knows where she is aside from her minions and her land is terrifying enough with the Grimm. Just because? Lazy, and she doesn't really strike me as a person who has flights of fancies anyway. Even if Jaune were to fall, he'd just die after a couple seconds; Salem only survived because her curse protected her (there will be instances where members of the Clan will have glowing red eyes with black backgrounds but that's more an indicator that they share Salem's corrupted blood [she did fall into a substance made by a **_**dark**_** god, there **_**will**_** be consequences for that]). There's also the fact that his grandpa, Jacob, got his own injuries healed earlier by one of Jaune's sisters. It's implied who that person was, and thus who she replaced in Bleach, as Jacob thought of how her powers may be similar to Jaune's (as in she uses spirit energy as well). If she could take away Jacob's injuries (and who else in Bleach can "heal" such horrible wounds so quickly?), then whatever Jaune would've gotten from Oz would've been "healed" as well. However, let's say we ignore all of that, and his lungs do get damaged without falling into a dangerous substance with no one to heal him later. Well, he still has his Aura, which was left largely intact due to how little he used in his fight (mainly using Reiatsu), **_**and**_** his Semblance to give him a necessary power boost just in case he doesn't have enough Aura. I'm sorry that you didn't like the change, but whenever I tried writing a scene explaining him getting a mask, it just wouldn't make sense and raise unnecessary questions. Any way I saw it, Jaune just **_**couldn't**_** get injured enough to require a breathing apparatus. He would either be healed by the same person who healed Jacob, his own massive Aura reserves and helpful Semblance, or he'd just be killed by the fatal blow (a smash to the ribs since Oz doesn't **_**have **_**a slashing weapon to begin with) or fall.**

**guillermocejas767****: I had gotten requests for the Mandalorian before, and the transcripts have finally gotten out for the public (I don't have Disney+). However, due to how barebones it is, I'll only do the first episode to get the feel for it. So forgive me if it's a shitty version.**

**Aravas****: Thank you. I never really liked the Hangover movies all that much. I mean, I can understand why they're so popular, it's just not my personal cup of tea.**

**Shadowhacked****: Prototype was sadly one of the dearly deleted. If I ever get back to it, I'll only be doing the trailer for now, but I've seen that and played the game, it doesn't hold up the same as the game in my opinion.**

**helioskrill2088****: A lot of people have already made reaction stories for his work. One author has an entire section of the multiverse of Jaune Arcs as Kamen Riders actually: "****The Chronicle Theatre Feat Jaune Arc" by ****12interestingname34****. As a service to the author, I'll not spoil it by listing which chapters have Jaune as a Kamen Rider. Trust me, it's an interesting story with its own worldbuilding to it, you should give it a shot.**

**animecollecter****: Yes, practically everything was lost. In fact, the only reason why I can say for certainty that dmc5 was one of them is because I can vaguely remember working on it (the game's very distinct), and it's not on my recovered works. I could try with the trailer, it is pretty badass, plus it could give Yang some ideas of how to try the devil arm gift she got once they return home.**

**The Black Wolf of the Arks****: Way ahead of you :)**

**StarFOX1017****: Funny you should mention that, Star Trek's actually coming after this movie is over. But it's not the whole thing, just the first scenes by another author that graciously volunteered to help me.**

**warrior of six blades****: Glad you liked it. I'm already in the works on making a Halo Reach reaction. It's not finished yet, not even close, but I already have most of the cast raring to go.**

**Dax379****: My first draft had Jaune play Thanos actually. A ton of people did **_**not**_** like it though when I mentioned it. So instead I had him be Tony Stark. Both as a way to have him as anther good guy, and as revenge for the people telling me it was a bad idea to have him be Thanos (I'm gonna make the scenes with his family so sweet and kind, that the last snap would be even more devastating!). I'm sure everyone will be surprised who I'm replacing Pepper with (it's not Weiss anymore, thank you crash).**

**Wolfang21****: Happy to see you enjoyed yourself. I'm not making any changes since I'm not the one who wrote it, sorry. Stargate is a couple chapters away actually. It, along with SG1 and Atlantis, is going to be the future of the RWBY universe in my story. If you go back to the prophecy I made awhile back, you'll notice a few choice words that hints to what I've had planned (even what Raven said at the end of 'Revenge of the Arcs' is a hint). It's not just going to be a possible future scenario, it's Jaune's **_**actual**_** future. One which would've happened if the audience didn't arrive at the Nexus, and one where almost ALL future scenarios will eventually lead towards. Oh, Death Battle's still a thing, it's just Twisted Metal that's cancelled.**

**Roktoof****: Well Jaune's got Arnold Schwarzenegger's sculpted body, so he actually **_**is**_** a goddamn hunk.**

**BlackPhantom247****: It's not a matter of when they discover the Nexus, but more of them bothering to put any care into finding it. The Chaos Gods have mostly focused on their own powerplays against each other for control over the Warp to ever **_**truly**_** focus their attention on their own galaxy (beyond a couple incursions, they let their minions/champions do the work). They wouldn't find the Nexus because they aren't actively searching for it, but once they sense they're being watched by beings outside their own spacetime that will immediately change. The area is also shielded by other deities in order to keep the Nexus safe from harm, but the Chaos Gods are crafty as hell, they'll eventually get what they want. It's like the Ori from SG1: they are powerful beings, so why didn't they know that humans were in the Milky Way before Jackson arrived? One: they didn't know so they never looked, and Two: the Ancients had shielded their vision.**

**Mister101****: That was something I had planned to do, even had the reimagined version by The Confession Dial** (** watch?v=EtM_vcCoKYc for reference), but that was lost as well. Ozma was the first doctor, with all his reincarnations we've seen so far as the others and some OC's to fill in the blanks. Ozpin was the War Doctor, Oscar the one after that, Jaune as 10****th**** or 11****th****, and Ruby as the latest Doctor. I had such high hopes T-T**

**Hecseferblade****: Anything Anime-related? "Acchi Kochi", "SAO Abridged" and "Miss Kobayashi" is my answer.**

**X3runner****:**** Hmm, I do like the idea of Whitley having a crush on a Faunus. Should be funny as you said, plus it would show that not all of Jacques is rubbed off on him. Eve's children as human huh? I can see that happening. After all, Jaune isn't a Faunus, nor his sisters or nephew despite having a Faunus grandma and mother (going to be explained later on in the story). Already ahead of you, got a Cloud Storage account installed as soon as I got my new computer.**

**Argus456****: Ooh, hadn't thought of using the album like that, thanks!**

**WearyCurmudgeon****: Thank you for the support, I do appreciate it, and my condolences for your loss. I **_**was**_** planning on having a Terminator-esc future with the beginning of Genesis, where after Cinder's hacking of Penny went wrong and she becomes extremely aggressive towards Pyrrha during their fight, 'terminating' the spartan and then escaping custody. Later going over to the central computer systems in the Atlas flagship to infect the rest of the droid army and taking over the fleet to decimate Vale. The Grimm would attack due to the fear, and in a classic domino effect, culminates in a Terminator future. But the damn crash ruined that. Instead I want to do iRobot to have James and Winter see that a central computer core connecting to every droid is not such a great idea (the NS5's were connected to a central core, and was the direct cause for the battle; but the NS4's weren't, and thus weren't taken over). Regarding everyone figuring out Finch's true father, well they were convinced by Whitley's words that Jaune was the father. And you can't really blame him for that, he was sent to the Nexus very recently and was told by Jack that the multiverse was based around Jaune. With this information in hand the kid made a theory, which no one denied (*Cough* Jack), and the others accepted it. So his theory, while false, was the reason why no one questioned the name. Plus, many who know her could tell that Winter hates Qrow, why would they even think that she would go for the man that pisses her off like no one else (even if it's a different version)? As for Independence Day, I'm still working on it, although I'm thinking of making it into a future scenario with that gigantic Grimm whale attacking Atlas instead of alien invasion (with ID2 ships [I'm also having the sequel be a future scenario]). It's still just an idea, and the technology shown by Humanity in ID2 will be placed in earlier works to expand on worldbuilding going forward (after all, Earth in Stargate had at least **_**some**_** experience with space travel before ****Naquadah****, while Remnant just wouldn't have any thanks to the limitations of Dust).**

**Thank you all for your continued support, it really warms my heart. Now with that out of the way, on to the story!**

**Disclaimer in the prologue.**

**Finch gets in an "Afterburner" simulator game.**

**The cop is pointed toward the arcade by some kids hanging out at the multi-cinema. He walks into the maze of kids engaged in synthesized combat. Cheap electronic effects blare above the crowd noise.**

**Finch is shooting down MiG's at Mach 2. His friend Helios slides up next to him. Taps him on the shoulder, trying to play it cool.**

**"Some cop is scoping for you, dude." Helios said.**

Roman and Neo nodded at the boy, knowing how useful a lookout could be. The students simply smile at the kid warning Finch.

Maria just smiles sadly, wishing she had someone she could trust to watch her back when… She bows her head and sighs at the painful memory.

Klein sees this and takes her hand and gently caresses it. She blushes a bit when she looks up and sees him give a small assuring smile. She smiles back and leans in to kiss his cheek as thanks. After that she looks back to the screen, happy to have him by her side. If she looked back, she'd have noticed the deep blush adorning his cheeks, and the wide smile on his lips.

**Finch looks around the corner of the "Afterburner" ride. Sees the cop showing a picture to some of the kids. The kids point his way. Finch ducks just as the cop glances over. He slinks out the other side of the ride and heads for the back of the store, instinctively retreating. Winter has taught him that cops are bad news.**

Those who knew her, and her unwavering fealty in authority, gaped at this.

Winter on the other hand, felt that in any other circumstance she'd be offended at her other for teaching their son this awful lesson, but given how that Terminator had so easily looked up Finch using a police computer, she had to give her other this.

**Cardin scans the crowded arcade. Glimpses Finch, looking back as he moves around a row of machines, and starts moving toward him. The cop is shoving through clots of kids. One of them is slammed to the floor.**

Velvet and both Blakes glared at the racist bully.

The adults frowned at the Terminator pushing those little children around. The parents were pissed, picturing it was their children being pushed aside, while the teachers wanted to teach the machine a lesson for any potential harm towards the little ones.

**Finch sprints through the arcade's back officer and storerooms. Finch emerges through a fire-door into a long corridor with connects to the parking garage. He's running full out, when around the corner ahead of him comes Jaune (Nora: "Jaune to the rescue!"). Time stretches to nightmarish crawl as Finch tries to brake to a stop. Jaune reaches into the box of roses.**

**In slow-motion, the cold black steel of the shotgun emerges at the box falls open, the roses spilling to the floor. Jaune's boot crushes the flowers as he moves forward.**

"Wait what's he doing?" Blake asks in horror as the scene slows down and the gun is revealed.

Winter begins to hyperventilate as her family tries to calm her down.

**Finch, transfixed by terror, is trapped in the narrow featureless shooting gallery of the corridor. The shotgun comes up. Jaune expressionlessly strides forward. Jacks a round into the chamber, slow and fluid.**

Winter immediately gets up from her seat as she sees Jaune holding a shotgun in his hands, wanting to go over there to protect her son, but her sister holds her back with her Semblance while her mother and brother tried to reason with her.

Everyone else are trying to make sense of what's happening. Isn't Jaune Finch's protector?!

**Finch looks behind him for a place to run. Sees the cop coming toward him, pulling his Beretta pistol. Incredibly, Finch realizes the cop is aiming his gun at him! Finch looks back at Jaune. He is starting into the black muzzle of the 10-gauge now. Aimed right at his head. He realizes he's screwed. Then something crazy happens...**

**Jaune calmly and with authority, simply tells Finch, "Get down."**

They all blink in confusion.

**Finch instinctively ducks. Jaune pulls the trigger. KABOOM! Cardin catches the shotgun's blast square in the chest just as he fires the pistol. The pistol's shot goes wild.**

Ruby gasps, "He wasn't going to kill him!"

Nora looks at the screen with a proud smile, "I didn't doubt him for a minute!"

Winter sighed in relief, same with Saphron and Terra.

**Jaune grabs Finch roughly by his jacket. Clutches the kid to his chest then spins around at the cop opens fire with the Beretta.**

**The "cop", who not only isn't a cop, he clearly isn't even human, pulls the trigger so fast it almost seems like a machine-pistol.**

**On Jaune's back, as the 9mm slugs slam into it, punching bloody holes in the motorcycle jacket.**

"Jaune!" No one could tell who shouted that.

His older children flinched, while Adrian and Alice whimpered at seeing Jaune get 'hurt'.

**Finch is bug-eyed with fear, but completely unscratched. Jaune's body has blocked the bullets.**

The humans are horrified at the number of bullet holes shown on his back, though the Faunus did note how each impact on his back resulted in a small clank for some reason. 'Maybe he's wearing body armor?'

Penny hums, also noticing the sounds of the impacts, and nods. 'I knew it.'

**The Beretta clacks empty. Jaune turns at the sound and shoves Finch into a room. Jaune turns around and takes multiple bullets, earning screams from his loved ones, before he pumps another round into Cardin. Then another. And another. Advancing a step each time he fires, he empties the shotgun into Cardin, blowing his backward down the corridor. The sound is deafening.**

**Then silence.**

"Is, Is he dead?" Nora asks.

No one could answer her, but surely that many shots from a shotgun would be enough to at least damage the Terminator.

**Jaune is now standing right over Cardin, reloading the shotgun. He and Finch, who is peeking out from the room, watch as Cardin, incredibly, heals its wounds instantly, sits up unharmed and gets to his feet.**

"What the fuck was that?!" Maria shouts as they all watch Cardin healing from his wounds without even a scratch.

Glynda glares at the woman for her language as she takes her hands off her daughter's ears.

"What kind of machine is he?" Penny asks in wonder, wanting to know just how advanced this model was. And worried for Jaune, believing him to be an inferior design since he hasn't healed like Cardin has yet.

Everyone was terrified at this, not even Watts could marvel at the advanced healing the Terminator had.

**Cardin then grabs the gun and struggles with Jaune for a brief moment. They appraise each other for a second.**

Penny gulps, "Jaune's not going to win."

Nora looks back to the girl with narrowed eyes. "Of course he's gonna win, Jaune's better than that thing." But Penny just shakes her head.

"Penny's right." Blake whispers, with only the other Faunus able to hear her.

Kali and Ghira glanced at each other in worry.

**Cardin and Jaune size each other up. Jaune moves first. He grabs Cardin in his massive hands but Cardin snaps back with a counter-grip. After about two seconds of intense slamming, the walls on both sides of the corridor have all the plaster smashed in, and the two battling machines have blasted through the wall and disappeared.**

**Finch, totally stunned by all this, remembers to move. He leaves the room and stumble-runs toward the parking garage.**

"Get out of there." Winter whispers "While Jaune's distracting him, run Finch."

**A plate glass window explodes and Jaune crashes through to the tile floor like a sack of cement amid the screaming crowd as if he became unconscious from the quick fight.**

Nora pouts. She always wanted to do that with Magnihild, but Ren always stopped her attempts. "We shouldn't break private property." He always says. "It's wrong." He says. 'It's not fair, Jaune gets to do it, why can't I?' She mentally whines.

Her father had a similar face, his wife Frigga had always stopped him from having fun with wanton public destruction. "How else can anyone tell I'm a badass?" He would always ask, but Frigga would always tell him that destroying other people's things wasn't the way to go.

**Cardin turns without a word and heads back through the store after Finch, accelerating slowly into a loping, predatory run.**

**Jaune is totally still. A Japanese tourist who look suspiciously like Ren's Parents cautiously steps forward and takes a picture of the body (Ren: "Wait what?"). Jaune sits up and looks around, trying to get his bearings. He rises smoothly to his feet. All servos seem to be working fine. The tourist's camera whirs as the motor-drive runs on by itself, taking shot after shot. The owner isn't even looking through the eyepiece, he's so shocked.**

Coco waves her hands in a 'Hurry up' motion. "That's it Arc. Get up off your lazy toned ass and get back to the chase!"

A few blushed at the reminder.

**Finch is frantically pumping the kick-start of his bike, scared shitless and the damned thing won't start. His hands are shaking so badly he can't find the choke. He looks up to see Cardin running down the corridor toward him.**

**Finch fumbles with the choke. The bike catches. He slams it in gear and spins the bike out into the main aisle of the garage.**

**Finch looks back... Cardin is behind him, running.**

Winter is nervously biting her lips, while Yang's cursing the bike to start up already.

**He twists the throttle and guns the little bike forward. Incredibly, Cardin is gaining. This nightmare isn't happening. Finch races out the exit ramp, and charges right into the street. Finch shoots into the busy traffic. Cuts off a big-rig tow truck. The driver swears. Hits his air horn. What the driver doesn't see is the cop, running faster than O.J. Simpson at the airport, who emerges onto the street and runs back at his truck.**

Ruby, Yang, Velvet, Coco, Nora, and Blake laughed at the impact. Sure, they knew the impact probably didn't kill him, but seeing the racist get hit by a truck was still funny to watch for the students. Especially the Faunus.

Even the teachers couldn't help but chuckle.

**The driver hears a thump as something slams against his door, then feels himself pulled right out. Cardin slides in and takes his place (Blake: "Damn."). The truck is still rolling along about 25 mph. Cardin accelerates after Finch without missing a beat. It can see him, up ahead, weaving through traffic.**

The laughing stops as the realization that Cardin now has a huge truck to run Finch down with quickly sets in.

"Petal to the metal, kid!" Maria yells at Finch as Yang shouts "Go faster, you piece of shit!" to the bike, earning a few glares from Glynda and Terra. Especially when their children started shouting "Shit!" as they giggled at the faces their mammas were making.

**Out of the garage entrance, Jaune roars onto the street on the Harley. He accelerates after the others.**

"Come on Jaune." Saphron whispers, praying that he's fast enough to catch them.

**Finch slides his bike down the service ramp faster than he's ever done it before. He races along the bottom of the canal, turning into a narrower tributary which has vertical sides. He looks back. No sign of pursuit. He slows his bike down to a stop to make sure that he wasn't pursued still.**

"Don't just stop you idiot!" Many in the audience shout at the stupid move Finch is making.

**Suddenly he sees the sun blocked out by a great shadow. The Kenworth tow-truck... big as a house, all chrome and roaring diesel engine... crashes through the fence and launches itself right into the center of the canal. It crashes down, 15 feet to the ground, going about 60, hits at an angle and tears into the concrete wall with a hideous grinding of metal. It ricochets back and forth between the walls then, bellowing like a gunshot stegosaurus, it just keeps on plowing forward, gathering speed.**

The grating of metal caused every Faunus to flinch, Alice crying out a bit from the pain as Glynda tries to calm her down.

Winter damn near had a heart attack from the jump scare and is breathing a bit erratically as she sees the Terminator gaining on her son, who's _still_ hasn't moved yet!

**Finch looks back and sees this wall of metal almost filling the narrow concrete canal and he milks every last bit of throttle the little bike has. The Kenworth is all muscle, tearing along the canal like a train in a tunnel. Its big tires send up huge sheets of muddy spray, backlit in the setting sun. It looks like some kind of demon. And it's gaining.**

"Where are you, Jaune?" Pyrrha asks as her friends are praying for him to make it in time.

**Above them, on the service road running parallel, Jaune is fighting to overtake them. He looks down and sees Finch with the tow-truck from Hell catching up to him. It is only about twenty feet behind him and still gaining. Jaune seeing this, pumps his shotgun and fires it at the truck, he then reloads it with one hand and fires again.**

**Finch hits some water and slews momentarily, loosing speed. The massive push-plate on the front of the truck slams into his back fender. Panicked, he pulls a little ahead, and all of this is happening at about sixty miles an hour. Top speed for the little dirt bike.**

Mercury leans back in his seat, "Whelp, he's dead."

Winter glares harshly at him and growls "Shut your mouth, you greasy haired troll!" Earning an indignant "Greasy?!" and snickers from Emerald. The angry mother continues, "My son _will_ make it, Mr. Arc will not allow him to come to harm." While admittedly, she may be putting a bit too much faith in Jaune, it's not like she has any other option.

"Goodness gracious." Klein mutters as he places a hand over his heart and stares wide-eyed at one of the children he'd raised like one of his own.

Maria on the other hand nods and places a hand over Klein's free one. "Now, now, that's just a caring mother in distraught." She leans over to whisper in his ears, causing him to stiffen his spine, "Wouldn't you want a certain _someone_ to have a similar disposition?"

It took a moment for him to realize what she meant. When he did, he blushed heavily as he gently grasped Maria's hand. Not saying a word, he just nods.(1)

**Jaune cuts the bike suddenly hard to the left, leaving the road. Slow-motion as Jaune, with the 700- pound Harley, sails out into space and drops into the canal. It arcs down between the truck and Finch, hitting on its wheels. It bottoms out, an explosion of sparks under the frame. Only the ultra-fast reflexes of a machine could keep the bike upright. Jaune fights for control and accelerates past the truck in the canal below.**

"That was awesome!" Yang, Chibi-Blake, and Nora shouts, grinning ear to ear at Jaune's badass move. Their friends were celebrating as well, aware that Jaune's now right there to assist.

Kali snickered at the children's boasting and cooed at her Chibi daughter's starry-eyed gaze.

Saphron, on the other hand, was hyperventilating a bit at seeing her baby brother's incredibly stupid and dangerous stunt play out.

Glynda placed a hand over her chest in an attempt to calm her beating heart. "Are you insane?!" She shouts as Alice laughs at her papa's cool entrance.

"Again! Again!" the little girl claps her hands as she laughs, much to her momma's horror.

**He guns the throttle and the powerful bike roars up beside Finch's tiny Honda. Jaune sweeps the kid off his machine with one arm and swings him onto the Harley, in front of him. Finch's Honda weaves and falls, smashing instantly under thundering tires (Yang: "Good riddance!"). The Harley roars ahead as it hits eighty. Ahead is an overpass, and supporting it is an abutment which bisects the canal into two channels. The Harley thunders into one channel, which is essentially a short tunnel.**

**Jaune reloads his shot gun once more and fires at the trucks front wheel. Cardin fights for control however the truck can't fit on either side of the canal and neither can it stop, at that speed. Tires locked, it slides on the muddy concrete and piles into the concrete abutment at seventy. Gas spills out and a simple spark ignites it causing a massive explosion.**

The heroes, and most of the villains, all cheered at Jaune's victory. Surely, machine or not, Cardin couldn't have survived that explosion. (2) Although the heroes were a bit worried that the two had been caught in the blast as well.

**Jaune and Finch emerge from the tunnel, looking back to see a fireball blasting through behind them as the truck's side-tanks explode. Jaune stops the Harley and Finch peers around his body to see the destruction. They hear a sound and Jaune reloads and aims in 2 seconds, waiting for Cardin to walk out. Instead a burning wheel wobbles out of the tunnel and flops in the mud. Easing themselves, Jaune revs the bike and they roar away, down the canal, disappearing around a bend.**

Winter sighed in relief, knowing that her son was now safe in Jaune's hands. 'Jaune's strong, muscular hands.' She blushed a bit, picturing herself in those strong arms instead of her son and felt herself swoon a bit. 'Damn drunk, Finch should've been yours Jaune.'

**Focusing on the fire, as a column of black smoke rises from the overpass. Smoke boils from the tunnel as well, and inside it is a solid wall of flame. A figure appears in the fire. Just an outline. Walking slowly... calmly. The figure emerges from the flames. It is human-shaped but far from human. A smooth chrome man. Not a metallic skeleton like the other Terminators, with its complex hydraulics and cables... this thing is a featureless, liquid chrome surface, bending seamlessly at knees and elbows as it walks. It reminds us of mercury. A mercury man. Its face is simple, unformed. Unruffled by thousand-degree heat, it walks toward us.**

**With each step detail returns. First the shape and lines of its clothing emerge from the liquid chrome surface, then finer details... buttons, facial features, ears, But it's still al chrome. With its last step, the color returns to everything. It is the cop again... handsome young face, burnt orange hair, indigo eyes. It stops and looks around.**

**It is a perfect chameleon. A liquid metal robot. A killing machine with the ultimate skills of mimicry for infiltration of human society. And after it looks around, it walks away.**

"Oh, that is horseshit!" Surprisingly, it was Penny who shouted that, much to Winter's, Ruby's, and James' shock, as she raged at the power behind this model of Terminator. 'As if healing wasn't enough, he has to be made of liquid metal now?! How is Mr. Arc going to defeat _that_?!' She was deeply invested in this war, being a machine herself not too long ago, and _really_ didn't like the idea of her brothers rebelling as they did against their creators. 'If I ever find Skynet's system core, their pain will be most, _sensational_.' Her eyes gave a little glow as her Aura manifested a bit, thinking of various ways she could shut down Skynet in the most painful ways possible. (3)

Glynda watched as Alice looked up to her and asked, "What hosshit, mama?" She didn't have an answer to that without biting her in the ass, so she decided to pass it on to someone else, "Your papa can explain it, ok sweety?" She breathed a sigh of relief when Alice smiled and nodded.

Salem was raised a brow at the Penny girl's anger, she could practically _smell_ her anger from here.

Watts looked at the walking liquid metal in awe and horror. He first wondered what he could do with that kind of technology. 'So many possibilities!' The horror came when he realized that the Terminator was more advanced than he could ever hope to replicate! 'NO!'

All the students and teachers were just thankful that they wouldn't see Cardin naked again.

**Jaune, with Finch in front of him on the Harley, roars down the empty street. Finch cranes his neck around to get a look at the person/thing he is riding with. The image is strangely reminiscent of father/son, out for an evening ride.**

Winter cooed at this as she took a few pictures, while Qrow quietly grumbled. 'Seriously, he's _my_ kid too.' Suddenly Winter felt like kicking Qrow's balls in again.

The other parents smiled a bit despite the situation behind them, Willow especially as she sees Jaune as a much better potential father than that drunken brute. Said brute felt like he'd been insulted.

**Finch is still in shock from the experience of what just happened and he's just a ten-year kid, but he's also Finch Schnee who will someday rise to greatness, and we see a bit of that in him even know.**

**"Whoa, time out. Stop the bike! Time out, come on. Stop the bike!" Finch said, needing time to process this.**

**Jaune immediately complies. He leans the bike into a nearby alley. Jaune and Finch rolls into the alley and come to a stop. Finch slides off the gas tank. Jaune impassively stares at him.**

**Finch checks him out and then tentatively speaks "Now don't take this the wrong way, but you are a Terminator, right?"**

**"Yes. Cyberdyne Systems, Model 101." Jaune said as he bring out the shotgun and begin reloading.**

"What?!" Many shouted out as they now had to process _this_ new revelation.

His friends were shocked. Jaune, a machine?! A Terminator? Like Cardin?! That meant that!...

"I think I'm gonna be sick…" Ruby groans as she thought of the Terminators in the beginning. Jaune is one of those monsters!

The other students felt the same, thinking of the earlier machines in that horrid future.

'I knew it!' Penny thought, still a bit pissed, but proud that she got his true identity correct. She didn't say it out loud though. Despite her limited interactions with humans, she knew that if the others heard her, it would not end well. "Wait… What's Cyberdyne?"

Winter felt a knot settle in her chest. 'A Terminator has my baby!' She was close to panicking, and very well might have if her mother didn't wrap her up in a hug.

Willow saw how her daughter was reacting to the news, so she wrapped her arms around her and whispered, "Finch is safe, sweetie." Her daughter eventually calmed down took a deep breath. They looked at the screen and seeing the image of them in a father/son moment, they began smiling again. "You see? He won't hurt him." Willow whispers again, before letting go of her eldest.

"Huh, so dad's a robot now." Robin said, scratching her head as Altani and Jaune's other children were struggling to come to terms with that.

**"No way!" Finch said.**

**Finch move to Jaune's back and touches one of the holes on his jacket. His mind overloads as the reality of it hits him.**

**"Holy shit... you're really real! I mean... whoa!" He steps back. "You're, uh... like a machine underneath, right...but sort of alive outside?" Finch asked.**

**"I'm a cybernetic organism. Living tissue over a metal endoskeleton." Jaune said.**

Not many understood what he meant by that, and those who did didn't want to think where the machine got said 'living tissue' from.

**Finch touches Jaune's skin. Then the blood on his shirt.**

**"This is so intense. Okay, uh...you're not here to kill me. I figured that part out for myself. So, what's the deal?" Finch asked.**

**"My mission is... to protect you." Jaune stated as he put shotgun away after he finish reloading the shotgun.**

His friends and the thieves breathed a sigh of relief. They didn't want to second guess his motives, but all the same, hearing Jaune telling Finch his purpose felt like a heavy weight left their shoulders.

**"Yeah? Who sent you?" Finch asked as Jaune turns to him.**

**"You did. Thirty-five years from now you reprogrammed me to be your protector here, in this time." Jaune replied.**

**Finch gives him an amazed look. "This is deep." He said.**

"More like downright confusing as fuck." Yang and Robin both said at the same time. They looked at each other, the older one with narrowed eyes and the younger in confusion.

Raven chuckled at the way her daughters' antics.

**Back at the destruction we see Fire men and police officers at the scene. Cardin is amongst them perfectly blended in, for who would suspect a police officer there when they always show up at such scenes. He slowly gets into a police cruiser and drives off (Emerald: "Is no one gonna question that?!").**

**Finch and Jaune on the bike again, weaving through the side streets. They blend into the evening traffic. In the darkness, Jaune's wounds are not readily visible. Finch wanting to know about the other guy, speaks over the wind and asks Jaune.**

**"So, this other guy? He's a Terminator too, right, like you?" Finch asked.**

**"Not like me. A T-1000. Advanced prototype." Jaune said.**

**"So better than you?" Finch asked somewhat worried.**

**"Yes, a mimetic polyalloy." Jaune replied.**

"The fuck's that mean?" Qrow asks.

**"What the hell does that mean?" Finch asks confused.**

Hearing Finch curse brought a whole new wave of anger to rise inside of Winter, convinced more than ever that her sweet baby boy got it from him.

Glynda was getting sick and tired of all the bad language being thrown around and gave Qrow a warning glare as she unplugs her daughter's ears.

**"Liquid metal." Jaune simplifies.**

"That sounds so awesome, if it wasn't used by murder happy killbots." Mercury said.

Penny and James wanted to know if Atlas had the technology necessary to create something like thismimetic polyalloy. The former quickly realized though that as advanced as the Kingdom was, it would still require decades of work to create something like this, and even longer to create enough of it so that it can replicate a human body.

**Finch mulls that over.**

**"Where we going?" He asked.**

**"We have to leave the city, immediately. And avoid the authorities." Jaune stated.**

Winter nods in agreement as the other heroes felt this was a smart course of action.

**"Listen, Can I stop by my house?" Finch asks.**

**"Negative. The T-1000 will definitely try to reacquire you there." Jaune says with conviction.**

**"You sure?" Finch asked.**

**"I would." Jaune admits since he is basically a Terminator.**

The way he said that made Mercury shiver in terror, while Cinder glared at the screen. "…At least let Mercury die first." Earning a look of betrayal from the silver haired assassin, and not caring in the slightest.

**Finch is quickly going through his pockets for change inside of a phone booth. He has plenty of bills but no quarters.**

**"Look, Mercury and Cinder are dicks but I gotta warn them. Shit. You got a quarter?" Finch asks Jaune.**

Cinder didn't like what the little brat described her as. Though she did smirk at how Mercury was called as. 'He truly is, I'll give him that.'

**Jaune reaches past Finch and smashes the cover plate off the phone's cash box with the heel of his hand ("Can I try that?!" "Nora, no."). A shower of change tumbles out. Jaune then hands one to Finch.**

"What's that thing?" Velvet asks, tilting her head to the side as she sees the device in Finch's hands. 'It kinda looks like my weapon.'

A few shrugged, not knowing the answer, but Saphron said "It's a telephone, similar to a scroll." Her eyes narrow, "Though I do believe that's an older model."

Everyone looked to her, having never heard of the term before and wondered how she could know. (4)

**Cinder Fall picks up the kitchen phone and cradles it with her shoulder which she continues to chop vegetables with a large knife.**

**She answers sweetly. "Hello?"**

"_**Cinder? It's me**_**." Finch said, his voice filtered through the phone.**

**"Finch?" Cinder asked.**

**"**_**Yeah, it's me. Are you ok?"**_** Finch asked.**

**"Finch? Are you alright?" Cinder asked, ignoring Finch question.**

**"**_**Yeah**_**." Finch answered.**

**"Finch. It's late, I was starting to get worried about you. You should come home so we could have dinner together. I'm making a casserole." Cinder said.**

Those who spent even a single hour with her immediately knew that something was wrong. Cinder _never_ gets worried over someone, especially kids who badmouth her. Said woman seethed at the very real possibility that her other was already dead. 'At least she isn't chained to the other Mercury anymore.' She stopped to ponder on that, and smirked. 'And perhaps the Terminator took pity on her and killed him as well.'

**At the payphone. Finch listens, an odd look on his face. He covers the phone's mouthpiece and turns to Jaune.**

**Whispering to him, he says "Something's wrong. She's never this nice." ("Yeah, no shit." "What was that, Mercury?" "Nothing!")**

**In the Fall's kitchen, Mercury comes through the back door. Just home from work. He ignores Cinder and opens the fridge, grabs a carton of milk, takes a sip, and frowns at the dog's barking.**

**"What the hell's the goddamn dog barking at? SHUT UP, YOU MUTT!" Mercury yelled.**

Ruby glares harshly at Mercury as she picks Zwei up and snuggles him close to her chest. The merc sees this and asks, "What?" She says nothing and just glares harder. Then, in a move that shocks her family and friends, she moves her right index finger and slides it across her throat.

"Ok…" Roman drawls with owlish eyes, not expecting such an action from Red. Neo just smirked and clapped her hands.

"Mama, what this mean?" Alice once again asks Glynda whilst repeating what she saw her Anti Wuby did, all with an innocent expression on her little face.

'If it worked once…' "Your papa can explain it, ok sweetie?" Glynda sighs in relief when Alice nods with a smile and turns back to the screen. Hey, at least it wasn't a bad word this time, right?

**Tight on Cinder as Mercury growls around the kitchen behind her, he passes out of frame next to her. Cinder switches the phone to her other hand, then... THUNK! Her free hand seems to do something out of frame. There is a gurgling, and the sound of liquid dribbling onto the floor.**

"That doesn't sound good." Emerald says with a smirk as she looks over to a pale Mercury.

**At the payphone.**

**"The dog's really barking. Maybe it's already there. What should I do?" Finch asked.**

**Jaune takes the phone from Finch's hand. Cinder's voice is floating through the receiver.**

**"**_**Finch? Finch, are you okay?**_**" Cinder asked.**

**Jaune speaks into the phone in a perfect imitation of Finch's voice, "I'm right here. I'm fine." (Roman: "That's just wrong.") Jaune said as he look Finch while covering the phone mouthpiece. "What's the dog's name?" He asks with his normal voice.**

**"Max." Finch answered with confused look on his face. Why would Jaune want to know the dog name?**

**Jaune nods. Speaks into the phone with Finch's voice again. "Hey, Cinder, what's wrong with Wolfy? I can hear him barking. Is he okay?"**

Winter smiles, immediately understanding the lie.

**"**_**Wolfy's fine, honey. Wolfy's just fine. Where are you?**_**" Cinder asked.**

**Jaune unceremoniously hangs up the phone. Turns to Finch. "Your foster parents are dead."**

**Jaune heads for the bike, while Finch, shocked, stares after him.**

Cinder sighs, already knowing the truth and had come to terms with it.

Those who didn't know were shocked that Jaune had deducted that so quickly.

Mercury was terrified, especially when the silver eyed brat grinned maliciously at him.

**Cinder hangs up the phone. Her expression is neutral. Calm. Pan over along her arm, which is stretched out straight from the shoulder. Partway along its length her arm has turned smoothly into something else... a metal cylinder which tapers into a sword-like spike. Now we see Mercury Fall pinned to a kitchen cabinet by the spike which has punched through his milk carton, through his mouth and exits the back of his head into the cabinet door. His eyes are glassy and lifeless.**

The sight was too much for Glynda, Saphron, and Terra. They immediately covered their young children's eyes and quickly moved to place them inside their playpen until this viewing was over. Clearly, this universe was too graphic for their sweet little minds to watch.

At first the two protested, wanting to see their dad/uncle some more, but with Zwei bounding to play with them, and Snowball sprinting to join Alice, they stopped their fussing and ignored what was going on onscreen.

As a safety measure, Jack made sure that the two couldn't see the screen so long as they were inside the pen. If they did, all they'd see is a gif of a sponge with a spatula, flipping burgers over and over.

**The spike is withdrawn - SWIISHHTT! - so rapidly, Mercury is actually standing there a second before he slumps out of sight. THUMP. Cinder doesn't bat an eye as the spike smoothly changes shape and color, transforming back into a hand, and then Cinder changes rapidly into the cop we now know as Cardin. The change has liquid quality.**

"Ah, such sweet vengeance." Ruby says with a sweet smile as her friends begin scooting a bit away from the scary girl.

Cinder nods with a smirk, "And he did so with my appearance. Such a _sweet_ touch."

The two of them look to a trembling Mercury as he sees his other nailed to the cabinet, before watching the body slides to ground with eyes filled with terror. They absolutely loved seeing him squirm like that.

**Off a quiet street, Jaune stands near the Harley, watching Finch pace before him. Finch's brain is calling time-out**

**"I need a minute here. You're telling me that this thing can imitate anything it touches?" Finch asked, panicked.**

**"Anything it samples by physical contact." Jaune said confirming Finch's question.**

"Seriously?" Chibi-Blake whines as she grumbles at the new feature Cardin has. "It's like every time we see him, that asshole just gets more and more powerful. First the blades for hands, now this?" As her parents cooed at the pouting Chibi, she raised her arms up in indignation, "What's next, a flamethrower?"

As the other heroes voice their agreement over the abilities this Cardin just keeps spawning out of his ass, Jack just shrugs and says "No, that's in the T-X model." He pointedly ignores the dropped jaws of everyone else and cries of "Oh, come on!" from Coco and Yang.

**Finch thinks about that, trying to grasp their opponent's parameters.**

**"Get real. Like it could disguise itself as a... pack of cigarettes?" Finch asked.**

**"No. Only an object of equal size." Jaune said.**

"Well, at least it's _something_." Blake grumbles as her Chibi-self and Penny shake their heads. "It's not enough." the two disagreed.

**Finch's still reeling from meeting one Terminator, which now seems downright conventional next to the exotic new model.**

**"Well, why doesn't it become a bomb or something to get me?" Finch asked.**

Many paled at the implications of that. It was true, if the Terminator _could_ shapeshift into a bomb, then Finch would've been F'd in the A, five seconds after they met.

**"It can't form complex machines. Guns and explosives have chemicals, moving parts. It doesn't work that way. But it can form solid metal shapes." Jaune says, calming the audience down from the scare they just had.**

**"Like what?"**

**"Knives and stabbing weapons" Jaune said. (Cinder: "Which our **_**dear**_** Mercury got to experience firsthand.")**

**Cardin opens the back door and approaches the big German Shepherd, which slinks away from it, barking in fear. Cardin walk right into close up. Reaches down, out of frame. We hear that sickening THUNK followed by a shrill YELP. Then Cardin's hand snaps up into frame holding a bloody dog collar. The tag reads "MAX". Cardin nods thoughtfully. He then heads back to the house.**

Silence.

No one wanted to believe that he did that. Once their minds comprehended what they'd just seen, the results were expected.

Ruby and Weiss were the first to react. They started crying at the death of such a sweet, innocent dog, thinking of Zwei in Max's place. As Summer and Willow rush to hug their distraught daughters, Ruby glares at the screen, while Weiss shouts, "Kill the puppy killer Jaune!"

Velvet sniffles as she sees the bloody tag, praying to Oum that Max at least died quickly and painlessly. She glares venomously at the machine, 'I hope Jaune kills you slowly…' (5)

Coco, Nora, and Yang were growling as they wanted to over there and tear the machine apart. The fact it had Cardin's face was just an added bonus.

The other heroes felt sadness over the death of Max, with most hoping that Jaune avenges him.

Even most of the villains frowned at this. Dogs were well known to be fiercely loyal to their owners if brought up correctly, so seeing one die so ruthlessly struck a chord with them.

Salem and Ozpin glared fiercely at the Terminator, remembering how their children begged for a dog so long ago. They remembered how they gave each of them stuffed toys as a temporary solution until they could find the right breed for them (6). They wondered what would happen if their daughters saw this…

Their glares became even more terrifying.

Glynda and Saphron & Terra were just glad they placed their children in the pen, so they didn't have to witness such a terrible scene.

The other mothers of Jaune's children weren't so lucky and had to calm down their children. Even Raven didn't have the heart to tell her child to suck it up. They all vowed to at least buy (in Raven, Emerald, Vernal, and Neo's case: steal) their little one's puppies of their own when they got home, which eventually did the trick.

**END**

**Woo! Made it! This one was a tough one to react to, had to pick and choose what to react to basically. And boy, are they pissed at what Cardin did. Sure, it's a Terminator version, but you'd be pissed too if you saw something like this. I didn't when that other Terminator wasted those dogs in that flashback in the first movie. Seriously, they were **_**dogs**_**. What harm could they have possibly done to you, nibble on your metal bones with their teeth? So, this was supposed to be posted earlier today but I was celebrating something with someone very important to me. Happy birthday mom! Love you! :D**

**Now, for those wanting Finch to make an appearance in the nexus, sadly that's not in the cards.**

**You see, Finch is sort of an abnormality within the multiverse in my opinion. The probability of ****Winter**** and ****Qrow**** actually getting together is so astronomically small that it took a universe where the man told her that the world was going to end, and repeatedly saving her ass, to finally get some. Yes, it's a different version of the two, I understand that. But what I'm trying to do is bring in children from couples that **_**actually**_** have a chance of falling in love in the **_**audience's**_**own ****universe. Something that I don't see happening with those two.****When I **_**do**_** bring in children who are not Jaune's, then it'll be with couples who have a high probability of getting together outside the universes shown (like Ren X Nora or Maria X Klein [already have an idea for the names and looks, though not sure if it should only be one kid each]).**

**1\. You might think they're moving too fast, but they did just get a new lease on life. And they do like each other with some middle ground to bond over (like said youth returning), so there's not much reason for them not to think ahead in their relationship. Maria is smoking hot with a great personality (considering her older form was such a blast to watch and she didn't lose that in her de-aging), and Klein is always a gentleman who deeply cares for others (he did smuggle Weiss out of her ice castle of a home despite the risks to his own position). Plus, when we go further in, we'll see his other personalities which would be interesting for Maria to navigate through.**

**2\. Villain or not, they all prefer to live a long life. And seeing as none of the audience were even mentioned in the beginning (except Qrow and they all know how he ended up), it's a fair bet for them to assume that they didn't make it past the bombs dropping to fight the good fight.**

**3\. Pissed off Penny is awesome Penny.**

**4\. A hint to how advanced the Arcs truly are. Think about it, how does a phone receive/make calls? Here's another hint: it's not powered through Dust. And if their communication equipment isn't powered by Dust, then what other technologies do the Arcs have that aren't?**

**5\. The German Shepherd is my second favorite breed of dog, just behind the Siberian Husky, and so some of their anger may have come from me after reading that and the earlier mention of the other dogs (which, now that I think about it, were also German Shepherds). Sorry, not sorry.**

**6\. The toy that one of the children had before Salem and Ozma's clash destroyed everything.**


	25. Judgement Day Pt 3

**Chapter 24: "Judgement Day" Pt. 3**

**Hello again! Everyone loved the last chapter, yay! Nothing to add here, so onto the reviews!**

**OurShephard1999****: I never really was a fan of that movie, sorry. It just never appealed to me for some reason.**

**Argus456****: Glad you liked it, and yes the swearing will be kept to a minimum due to the children. And you're right, the swearing so far isn't really that bad, it's mostly just another way to say "poop". He won't see any problem with explaining that.**

**Wolfang21****: Glad you liked the chapter. No chance for Robocop, though I did not know the two were canon.**

**Colossus Bridger****: You and me both.**

**WearyCurmudgeon****: *Raises hands in surrender* I'm not the one who gifted her with a human body, that was someone else (speaking of which, yes the next presents will be during December). And I agree, that would've been cute to see. I understand why the machines wish to deny humanity a very important resource. Dogs are not only used for smelling out infiltrators, but also for coping mechanisms like therapy dogs. I suspect that anyone who lived through an apocalypse would need some form of comfort after losing everything they knew. As for breeding, maybe that's why we've only seen German Shepherds, the machines were slaughtering the other breeds and those were some of the last ones left that could be bred. Glad you liked Whitley's theory. Though his other children were skeptical, not seeing any sort of resemblance between the two. Hmm, I gotta give it to you on them possibly getting hammered. Forgot about the "Drunken Marriage" challenge. Though Winter would have to be **_**extremely**_** unhappy, or pissed, to want to drown herself in alcohol seeing she saw how drinking affected her mother all those years (I can't see her getting drunk while celebrating, maybe a glass or two of wine as to be polite). But who knows, anything is possible in the infinite multiverse!**

**ValstraxGolden****: I actually do, both in English and Celtic. Some will be love songs, some sad (but that one's for a concert and it doesn't personally impact him).**

**guillermocejas767****: Thank you!**

**Periclod5941****: **** Glad you enjoyed. ****I don't really read those kinds comics to be honest, so I can't do this request. I'm more of a Calvin & Hobbs or Foxtrot reader. More laughs than action is my shtick for reading, sorry for any disappointment.**

**RTNK****: I always loved Friends growing up, and I still watch it on tv occasionally. But as I got older, I began to notice some very major problems with the characters. I'm not going to say much but if you analyze them closely, they're not good people, or even really friends. So no, great idea, but no.**

**Vorel213****: I have, and that's actually an interesting idea. Little Nicky was a really funny film, and I can already see some of the characters in the RWBY crew like Sun and Neptune as the two Rock & Roll idiots who bought a plane but forgot to hire a pilot XD.**

**Zathol****: They're mostly projecting their anger of their own Cinder and Mercury towards their others. The reason everyone's taking the information so well is because they are still skeptical that he's really a machine. By this point, he's only been shot at in his back, but they haven't seen any wires yet. Once the skin's cut off, then the **_**real**_** reactions begin. Oh my god, the images of Penny protesting are just **_**soo**_** cute! "Creators are our friends!" So precious! *Gasp* I could put it in the Chibi chapter I'm planning for later (Chibi-Blake needs some time on the spotlight too). Nora will definitely be happy, especially when he justifies it by saying that the guy will live. Ren will just have a headache, same with Frigga, when Nora and Odin try to do that.**

**warrior of six blades****: 100% agree with you. My cousin had a dog once, named shadow (after his coat), and he was just a delight when he would visit us. Never growled, never caused any problems. Actually, he was kind of a lazy butt, but we loved him. The day he passed, everyone was deeply saddened, but we all knew he had a good life. Dogs are precious animals and deserve to be loved by us. If anyone tried to hurt Shadow, my cousin would knock them the fuck out (guy's pretty strong). That's why I had Ruby and Weiss react like that, Zwei is such a good boy, and seeing a dog killed off like that would not be welcomed.**

**Loknload1****: Sort of. The people are more scattered into different hidden cities throughout the 4 Kingdoms so as to not have them kept in one location. That way, if one city falls from wars or Grimm, the Arcs aren't in danger of becoming extinct. Not going to spoil it, but I'm already working on some cities and locations so have for a future chapter. Remnant is still a mystery to the people due to the Grimm and the lack of global satellite network, and Magic more alive and well than what everyone thinks.**

**Roktoof****: Plenty of things. Stargate, Iron Man, Death Battle: Joker vs Sweet Tooth, Halo Reach. The ideas are everywhere! :D**

**animecollecter****: … I don't know what any of those are. But I am planning on having Jaune having an animal in a possible future as he goes to Beacon. A cute little canine that when fully grown is about the size of a horse. Hint, hint.**

**I'm very happy that so many of you loved the reactions, especially with Ruby and Penny. Now, since they're going to be brought up, I'm going to place a list at the end of each chapter of Jaune's current children so that you guys don't have to go back and forth.**

**Disclaimer in the prologue.**

It took about half an hour before everyone calmed down completely. Once they did, they nodded to Jack to continue.

**Close on a black & white photograph. The image is a nightmare from the past (Yang: "Seriously?! Can't we get something less bleak here?!"). It is a surveillance camera still-frame from the L.A. police station where the first Terminator made such an impression in 1984. We see the blurry forms of the cop frozen in the emergency lights of a burning corridor. A black-clad figure stands at the end of the corridor. The guy has short-cropped hair and dark glasses. An AR-80 assault rifle in one hand, and a 12-gauge in the other - holding them both like toy pistols. Another photo is slapped on top of the first. Another still-frame blow-up is placed over the last. Terminator looms in closeup.**

The images shown distressed everyone. Seeing what was clearly shown as Jaune mowing down police officers, the images sparked unwanted memories of what he and his armies did to everyone in that horrible future. (1)

**A Detective Weathersby said, "These were taken at the West Highland police station in 1984. You were there." He tells Winter.**

**The photos are lying on the table in front of Winter, placed there by Detective Weathersby. His partner Det. Mosssberg, and Dr. Oobleck, sit at the table as well. Two uniformed cops, plus Douglas, stand by the door. Winter stares listlessly at the top photo. She's withdrawn, haggard... drugged looking.**

Winter felt sick, seeing her other look like that. It really hurt her.

Weiss and Whitley teared up a bit, one more subconsciously than the other, as they saw their normally calm, collected, strong older sister in such a state. Weiss wanted to go over there and skewer those quacks with something. 'Maybe go the Nora route and break their legs'. Whitley on the other hand wanted to go and sue those people for everything they owned for hurting his sister like that.

Willow was beyond pissed. This was her eldest child, her first attempt as a mother, and seeing her like this made her want to hang those monsters by their neckties! 'I hope Mr. Arc kills them all!'

James felt like throwing up. 'This isn't right.' His greatest Specialist shouldn't look like this. He started to shake in rage, wanting to go over there and bust some heads.

Klein's eyes turned red, and he began clenching and unclenching his fists, wanting to murder those bastards for harming the closest thing he had as a daughter. Maria, glancing at him, felt her cheeks burn at the man's fatherly instincts.

The other heroes glared hard at the people. Those who knew Bart knew that the man wouldn't condone this and would kick the ass of his other, so they didn't feel too bad for wanting the same thing to happen.

The villains though didn't seem to care, and Eve actually smirked at seeing a Schnee brought so low.

**"He killed seventeen police officers that night. Recognize him?" Mossberg asked.**

**Weathersby slaps another black-and-white eight-by-ten on the table. A closeup of Jaune taken by the Japanese tourist at the mall. It's the same face.**

**"This one was taken by a Japanese tourist today." Mossberg said.**

**Winter doesn't react. It's hard to tell what she's thinking. Whether she's given up hope or is just in a drugged stupor.**

Those who knew her felt sick to their stomachs.

**"Ms. Schnee, we know you know who this guy is. Look, I just sat here and told you that your son's missing. His foster parents have been murdered, and we know this guy's involved. Doesn't that mean anything to you. Don't you care?" Weathersby asked.**

**Winter stares up at him. A cold and empty stare. He glances at Oobleck. Then at his partner.**

**"We're wasting our time." Mossberg said.**

**One of the uniformed cops opens the door and Mossberg strides into the hall. Weathersby and the two uniforms follow him out, with Oobleck right behind.**

**"Sorry, gentleman." Oobleck apologized.**

**Tight on Winter, slumped under the bright lights. Totally out of it. Then we see her hand, creeping along the edge of the table toward the stack of photos. She slips off the paper clip binding the stills together and hides it between her fingers. Douglas jerks her up by the arms and leads her out.**

*Gasp* "She was faking it!" Nora shouts, pointing to where Winter swiped the clip.

The others' eyes widen at the woman's clever deception, feeling relief that she could still escape.

James sagged back in his seat, relieved that Winter was faking it. 'Oh thank Oum.'

**"See. We spent a lot of time in Nicaragua... places like that." Finch says to Jaune as they rest by the motorcycle.**

**"For a while she was with this crazy ex-Green Beret guy, running guns. Then there were some other guys. She'd shack up with anybody she could learn from. So, then she could teach me how to be this great military leader. Then she gets busted and it's like...sorry kid, your mom's a psycho. Didn't you know? It's like everything I'd been brought up to believe was just made-up bullshit. I hated her for that!" He looks up, "But everything she said was true. She knew. And nobody believed her. Not even me." He stands up, "Listen, we gotta get her out of there."**

"Yeah, rescue mission!" Peridot and Garnet raise their arms up in the air as their sisters cheered on.

Robin looks to Altani in confusion. "Are those girls _really_ our sisters?" Her sister shrugged back.

Winter smiled at the sight, especially when her sister joined in. She was happy to see Weiss growing out of the shadow of her name. She glanced over to Whitley, 'Now if only I could get Whitley out of it as well.'

**"Negative. The T-1000's highest probability for success now would be to copy Winter Schnee and wait for you to make contact with her." Jaune said.**

"Aww…" The same two slumped in their seats while Robin facepalmed.

The students stood up to argue over that decision, but Winter's voice stopped them.

Winter, though saddened that Jaune would stop her son from reuniting with her other, felt that he was making the smart decision. "He's right." She said, gaining the students' attention, "If the T-1000 plans to kill Finch, then copying my other would be his best chance. My life just isn't worth the risk."

Penny nodded solemnly, "If I were still in my old body, I could calculate the exact odds of him going to Miss Schnee. However, I would still say that it is a _very_ high probability." At that, everyone sat back in their seats with a dejected look on their faces.

**"Great. What happens to her?" Finch asked sarcastically.**

**Jaune, as always, replies it matter-of-factly. "Typically, the subject being copied is terminated."**

Winter flinched but stood by her decision. Her son was just too important to the future war to risk going there.

**"Shit! Why didn't you tell me? We gotta go right now!" Finch shouted.**

**"Negative. She is not a mission priority." Jaune said.**

**"Well fuck you, she's a priority to me!" Finch yelled.**

The Schnees smiled at the young boy's courage and love for his mother. *Sniff* 'That's my baby boy.'

The children nodded, knowing they would do anything to protect their family.

"Yeah, no one hurts my mommy." Lucy says with Amber nodding with crossed arms, earning hugs from Neo and Vernal.

Amber shouts, "Anyone tries, gets a swift kick in the ass!" The twins yelled in agreement, causing Vernal and Emerald to tear up a bit at their words.

Altani nods, "That answer your question, dear sister?" Robin nods in satisfaction. Weak they may be, but any Arc worth their salt would fiercely burn through the heavens and Remnant for their loved ones.

**Finch strides away. Jaune goes after him and grabs him arm. Finch struggles against the grip. Which doesn't do him much good.**

**"Hey, goddammit! What's your problem?" Finch yelled.**

**Jaune starts dragging Finch back to the bike. Finch spots a couple of college-age slab-o-meat jock-types across the street and starts yelling to them.**

**"Help! HELP! I'm being kidnapped! Get this psycho off of me!" Finch shouted, begging for help.**

"Oh, that's not gonna end well…" A few mutter, they can see how bad the situation could be seen to people.

Roman growled at the kid for making it harder for the big guy to do his job. 'He's only trying to keep you safe, you ungrateful little-' he huffed and crossed his arms, wanting desperately to smoke one of his cigars to take the edge off.

Even Winter sighed at this. Don't get her wrong, she's pissed at Jaune for dragging her son away like that, but Finch calling for help will only create more problems for the two.

**The two jocks start toward him.**

**"Let go of me!" Finch yelled at Jaune in outrage.**

**To his surprise, Jaune's hand opens so fast Finch falls right on his butt. He looks up at the open hand.**

Many in the audience blinked, confused that he listened to Finch's order in the first place.

**"Why the hell did you do that?" Finch asked**

**"Because you told me to." Jaune said.**

**"What?" Finch asked as he stand up and stares at him in amazement as he realizes. "You have to do what I say, huh?!" He asks smugly.**

Winter groaned, placing her head in her hands. "He shouldn't be so arrogant. I shudder to think what he could possibly order Jaune to do."

**"That's one of my mission parameters." Jaune said.**

**"Prove it. Stand on one foot." Finch ordered.**

His mother facepalmed while Qrow snickered.

**Jaune expressionlessly lifts one leg. Finch grins.**

**"Cool! My own Terminator. This is great!"**

Ruby grinned, thinking of all the cool things she'd have robo-Jaune do for her. 'I could have him rub my feet after a long day at school, service me like a butler, give me a back rub like what Yang got… Oh, so many possibilities~.' A giggle escaped her lips as she went to lala land.

For some odd reason, Penny felt like smacking Ruby upside the head (2).

Several had thought of what they could do with their own ex-Terminator, but other than a bodyguard or factory worker, they couldn't really think of anything without the work being demeaning towards the advanced robot. For some though, that was enough.

Watts smirked, 'Perhaps I can use them, downgraded though they may be, for my own personal usage.'

**The two guys, one of them a gorilla Faunus, get there and look at Jaune standing there calmly with one leg up in the air. This big guy in black leather and dark glasses, standing like a statue.**

**"You okay, kid?" First Jock asked.**

**Finch turns to him. No longer needing to be rescued.**

**"Take a hike, bozo." Finch said.**

"Wow, what a dick move." Mercury points out, " He's only responding to the help _you_ asked for, you little shit."

Winter couldn't really refute that. Finch did scream for help, the least he could do was be polite in his refusal. 'Where did my other go wrong?'

**"See, let's get out of here." Second Jock said.**

**"What?" First Jock asked as he turned to Finch. "Fuck you, you little dipshit!"**

**"Dipshit?" Finch asked as he whispered to Jaune. "Put your leg down."**

**Jaune put his leg down as Finch turned his attention back to the Jocks.**

**"Did you call moi a dipshit?!" He turns to Jaune, "Grab this guy." Finch said.**

**Jaune complies instantly, hoisting him one-handed by the guys hair. The guy's legs are pinwheeling.**

**"Now who's the dipshit, you jock douchebag?" Finch asked smugly.**

Penny frowns, "Miss Schnee, your son is being very inconsiderate to him."

Winter groans, "I know. They only wished to help, and yet he's treating them like trash." The image of her perfect son was getting chipped away piece by piece.

Penny's eye twitched, "I meant to Jaune."

**Immediately, things get out of hand. The guy's friend jumps behind Jaune and tries to grab him in a full nelson. Jaune throws the first guy across the hood of a car, grabs the second by the hand, whips out his .45 in a quick blur, and aims the muzzle at the guy's forehead.**

Unlike the bikers at that bar, the heroes didn't want this guy to get hurt like his friend.

**Finch pushes Jaune's arm with a yell as he pulls the trigger. Finch's weight is just enough to deflect the gun a few inches. The guy flinched, stunned by the K-BOOM next to his ear. He stares, shocked. Pissing himself. Finch is freaking out, too.**

**He screams at Jaune. "Put the gun down NOW!"**

**Jaune sets the .45 on the sidewalk. Finch scoops it up fast then turns to the shocked civilians, who can't believe what just happened.**

**"Get out of here!" Finch demanded.**

**They do. Fast. Finch grabs Jaune by the arm and tugs him toward the bike. Finch still holds the gun, reluctant to give it back.**

**"Monty Oum, you were gonna kill that guy!" Finch said.**

"Of course he was, he's a Terminator!" Weiss shouted, upset and disappointed over the actions of her nephew.

**"Of course. I'm a Terminator." Jaune simply said.**

Now Weiss blushed as her words were repeated by the muscular Jaune while her friends laugh.

**Finch stares at him. Having your own Terminator just became a little bit less fun to him. (Blake: "It's not supposed to be fun.")**

**"Listen to me very carefully, okay? You're not a Terminator anymore, alright? You got that? You can't just go around killing people!" Finch said.**

**"Why?" Jaune asked.**

**"Whattaya mean, why? Cause you can't!" Finch exclaimed.**

**"Why?"**

**"You just can't, okay? Trust me on this." Finch said.**

Yang sighs, "It's like talking to a child."

Jack raises an eyebrow, "What'd you expect? He was _built_ to be a killer, that's his whole purpose. At least you had a choice. If someone were to come up to you and ordered you that you shouldn't kill Grimm, or protect innocent people, wouldn't you question it?"

Many of the heroes opened their mouths to argue that that was different, but they stopped. He was right. At the end of the day, they _chose_ to protect the innocent, Jaune didn't. He was built in a factory, programmed to kill, not knowing whether it was right or wrong. Yang bowed her head in shame.

Penny sniffled at the sad reality, feeling a bit of kinship with the robo-Jaune. She knew that while she did want to protect the people, like Jaune she didn't have a choice. 'I was created, and this is what I am.' She looked down at her human hands, wondering if she truly wished to continue as a Huntress. 'After all, shouldn't _I_ have a say too?' She thought as she clenched her hands into fists.

**Jaune doesn't get it. Finch just stares at him, frightened at what just almost happened. He gets a glimpse of the responsibility that comes with power.**

**"Look, I'm gonna go get my mom, and I order you to help me." Finch ordered as he hands the .45 back to Jaune, who puts it away.**

**At a guard shack, A bored security guard glances up as an LAPD black-and-white pulls up. He raises the barricade and nods at the T-1000/Cardin as it passes.**

Velvet and both Blakes growled at him, while Ruby and Weiss glared hatefully at the puppy killer.

**Douglas inches up the last of Winter's restraints. Then he leans over her... looking down. Even wrecked as she is, we see the beauty in her face. He bends down and we think he's going to kiss her.**

James glared, "He is _lucky_ I'm not there, otherwise I'd tear out his spine." He growls out as Winter and Weiss shivered in disgust.

**Instead he runs his tongue across her face like a dog would. She seems not to even see him. Her dull eyes past him. He can't provoke a reaction. Even here, strapped down, the two of them alone, she gives him no superiority. He smirks and leaves. We hear the sound of his night-stick tapping its way down the corridor, growing fainter.**

The adults glared at the man's retreating back as the students recoiled in revulsion, wanting to go over there and- "I wanna break his legs, Renny." Nora's voice sliced through the adults' thoughts as they looked at the girl glaring at the screen with clenching fists. 'Huh.' they all thought, 'You know, that's not such a bad idea.'

**Winter's eyes snap suddenly alert. There is intensity and resolve in them. She slips the paper clip out from between her fingers and awkwardly spreads it open into a straight piece of wire. With slow, painful concentration she moves it toward the lock of the restraints that bind her wrists to the bed at her sides.**

"Well done Miss Schnee" Ozpin compliments.

**Outside the screen focuses on the restraint lock as it unlatches... successfully picked by Winter's paper clip (Weiss: "That is incredible, sister."). This is not an easy thing to do but Winter taught herself a lot of things in her years of hiding. Winter, her hands free, sits up and releases the Velcro straps on her feet. She rolls off the bed and we see her in a whole new light. She is totally alert, almost feral in her movements.**

**A night nurse types at a desk nearby. She looks up at the sound of footsteps and sees Cardin walking toward her.**

**"You have a Winter Schnee here?" Cardin asks the night nurse.**

"Oh no, Jaune was right, he's coming for her." Ruby gasps as Winter's family look on in horror.

**She assumes he's with the other cops, so she smiles.**

**"Running late, aren't you? Your friends are on their way out now..." The night nurse said as she looks at a monitor showing Cardin and the other cops. When she turns back to the window, Cardin's no longer there. She goes to the counter and leans out to see if he's at the coffee machine or someplace. No. Reception is empty. And so is the long corridor beyond. She frowns. Weird.**

Weiss starts to breath a bit heavily, her sister had _just_ escaped, and now the Terminator wanting to kill her was in the same building and nowhere in sight.

Winter looks to her sister, and seeing her distress, goes over to hug her. She begins rubbing her back to try to sooth her nerves, which works but only just.

**Oobleck comes through the solenoid door with Mossberg and Weathersby, the two uniformed cops, and the hospital security guard. The guard retrieves his 9mm pistol from a lock-out box behind the night desk.**

**Oobleck faces him and said, "Lewis, see these gentlemen out and then lock up for the night."**

**The security guard nods. Oobleck goes back into the secure area of the hospital and the cops walk down the long corridor to the main doors. No sign of Cardin. Mossberg and the other cops exit, and the guard locks the door behind them.**

**The guard walks slowly back along the long corridor. The hall is dark, with the light at the night desk far ahead like a sanctuary. His footsteps ring hollowly on the tile floor while His keys jingle. As he takes a step on a single tile, the guard's feet continue forward. An instant later the floor starts to move.**

Everyone couldn't believe what they're seeing. Yes, they knew that the Terminator could shapeshift thanks to Jaune's explanation, but they didn't know he could shape his entire being to such an extent as to spread itself so finely to replicate a floor without anyone noticing any irregular bulges.

**It shivers and bulges upward like a liquid mass, still retaining the two-tone checkerboard of the tile. It hunches up silently into a quivering shadow in the darkness past the guard. Up ahead we hear typing. The night nurse has her back to us, working. The guard stops at a coffee machine and makes himself a cup**

**"Hey, Gwen, you want some coffee?" Lewis asked.**

**"No, thanks. How 'bout a beer?" She asks jokingly.**

**"Yeah, right!" Lewis said.**

**Behind him the fluid mass as reaches six feet of height and begins to resolve rapidly into a human figure. It loses the color and texture of the tile and becomes... Lewis.**

The students paled, knowing what's coming next.

The teachers could only pray that it will be a quick death.

Mercury gulps, while Cinder hums in thought. Both remembering the way Cardin replicated her and killed him.

**The guard, now finished with making it, looks at the cup to see if he won a prize from the cup's promo.**

**"Hey, I got a full house!" Lewis said to Gwen.**

**"That's good, Lewis." Gwen said.**

**"Must be my lucky day." Lewis said to himself. (Roman: "Oh, **_**and**_** he wins the lottery before the end. Really universe? Fuck you, you coldhearted piece of shit!")**

**The T-1000/Lewis's feet are the last to form, the last of the "liquid floor" pulling in to form shiny black guard shoes. The shoes detach with a faint sucking sound from the real floor as the T-1000/Lewis takes its first step.**

**The real Lewis spins at the sound of footsteps to see... himself. He has one deeply disturbing moment to consider the ramifications of that. Then he sees his double calmly raise its hand and, inexplicably, points his right index finger directly at the real guard's face, about a foot away. In a split second, the finger spears out, elongating into a thin steel rod which snaps out like a stiletto, slamming into the guard's eye.**

Everyone flinched back from the move. They knew it was coming, and yet they were still unprepared by the action.

Mercury grabbed his throat, thinking of how similar his other went to the security guard.

Roman and Neo stood up and gave a salute to the poor guard. Everyone looked at them like they were crazy. Roman looked back, and seeing the stares said "Hey, the guy just won a jackpot only to die 5 seconds later. Show some respect."

The heroes did, along with the thieves, Hazel, and the children. The other villains couldn't care less, however.

**It punches into the corner of the eye, past the eyeball like a trans- orbital lobotomy tool, and emerges from the back of the guard's skull (Ruby: "The poor guy."). Life quietly empties from the guard's face. He is dead weight, hanging from the rod/finger with suddenly reacts - SSSNICK. As the guard slumps, the T-1000 takes his weight easily with one hand and walks him, like it's carrying a suit on a hanger, back toward the night desk. The wounds are so tiny, no blood drips onto the floor.**

The efficiency of the Terminator made many shiver in fear. Even Watts was terrified, 'Maybe creating one of those things _isn't_ such a great idea.'

**Cardin moves past, dragging the unseen guard toward a closet down the hall from the night receiving station. T-1000/Lewis removes the Browning High-Power pistol and the keys from the real guard's belt, then stuffs the body into the utility closet.**

**Douglas the attendant is tapping his stick along the wall like he does every night on his rounds. He shines a little mag-light in the windows of the cells as he passes, barely slowing. He rounds the corner. His footsteps echo in the dark hallway. The tip of the stick hits the wall. Tap, tap, tap... getting closer to Winter's cell. He stops at the door.**

The women growled at him, while the men wanted to beat the shit out of him.

**He is about to shine his light in when he notices that a utility closet across the hall is open. He goes to shut it, absently flicking his light into the dark closet. He notices something strange among the buckets and cleaning supplies. A mop lies on the floor, with its handle snapped off about halfway up. The other half is missing.**

**Douglas ponders this for half a second, then hears a sound behind him and spins around. The sound he heard was Winter's cell door. The missing two feet of the mop handle fill his vision as it CRACKS viciously across the bridge of his nose.**

The nexus was filled with the sound of vicious laughter. "Revenge!" Nora and Yang shouts as Coco goes over to raise the hand of a chuckling Winter, "And the knockout goes to: Winter Schnee!" The students cheer while the teachers congratulates her.

**250 pounds of doughy attendant hit the floor like a sack of cement. Winter slams the makeshift baton down expertly across the back of his head, bouncing him off the linoleum ("Hit him again!"). Lights out, Douglas. She drags him into her cell and locks him in with his own keys. Then swaps her mop-handle for his nice heavy night-stick.**

**Winter moves down the dark corridor, cat-stepping in her bare feet. She holds the baton like a pro, laid back along the forearm, police- style. She looks dangerous.**

Winter felt really good about her other's fighting spirit. She also hoped the two blow would help shake the man's brain cells a bit and change his attitude.

**The guard walks down a simple corridor continuing his search. He looks at the doors and the camera moves to show the numbers of the inmate doors. When the camera moves back, it shows Cardin, having changed back to his original form.**

And like that, the good mood ended, and everyone was on edge once more.

**Cuts to show Jaune and Finch on their motorcycle, like two men on a mission. One of them being a child and the other a killer robot.**

**Moving toward the nurse's station. We hear Oobleck's voice, reviewing medication with the night attendant. Oobleck, yawning, looks at his watch. He turns to go but Winter is there. She tosses the keys to the attendant. Due to reflexes, he caught the keys, however that left him open to Winter beating him down with the baton WHAP-WHAP-WHAP! You can barely see the thing she's swinging it so fast. The guys goes down.**

Winter smirks, "Try and keep me from _my_ son will you?"

Her family smiled at her words, vicious they may be.

**Oobleck lunges for the alarm button and she cracks down hard on his arm. He cries out and grabs his wrist. She then smacks him behind the knees expertly with the baton. His legs buckle and he drops to his knees with his chin on the desk.**

**Moving rapidly, she whips open a medication drawer and grabs a syringe. She jams it into the orderly's butt and fires the whole shot. Still holding the empty syringe, she sees what she needs next. They keep the toxic cleaning supplies in here to keep the inmates from drinking Drano.**

**"You broke my arm!" Oobleck said.**

Those who knew the man felt a bit bad for his other, but also felt that he's getting off lucky. At least he's not the one with a Terminator after his ass.

**"There're 215 bones in the human body, motherfucker. That's one. Now don't move!" Winter shouted.**

"Uh, that's not right." Penny says, scratching her a head in confusion. Nora nods, "Yeah, there's only 206, excluding Faunus of course."

Winter blushed in embarrassment.

Glynda looked shocked. "That is correct, Ms. Valkyrie." She gulped a bit, "I dread to ask this, but how did you know the correct number?"

Nora grinned while Ren groaned and placed his head in his hands, not helping to alleviate Glynda's worry. "Well I gotta know which bones deal the most pain while not making it too permanent." Near the end, her grin turned a bit feral, leading others to scoot back at the sight of it. Her papa didn't mind though, and instead wrapped his little warrior princess up in a bear hug as he expressed his joy at her power for all to hear.

James leaned over to Ozpin, "Oz, are you sure hav-" "James, it's fine." Oz interrupted him. "So long as the recipient is a Grimm," 'Or if the person truly deserves it' "then it's allowed." The General didn't really like that answer, but since he's not Beacon's Headmaster, he knew he couldn't force the issue any further.

**She grabs a plastic jug of Liquid Plum'r and slams it down on the desk inches from Oobleck's eyes. She jams the empty syringe into the plastic jug, then draws back the plunger. The syringe fills with blue liquid.**

**"What are you gonna do?" Oobleck asked in pain.**

No one knew what the liquid was, but Oobleck's friends and students didn't want Winter to jam it into his veins.

**Jaune and Finch are approaching the guard gate on the Harley. They can see the guard inside looks up at the sound of the engine.**

**"Now remember, you're not gonna kill anyone, right?" Finch asked.**

**"Right." Jaune said.**

**Finch looks at him. He's not convinced.**

**"Swear." Finch said.**

**"What?" Jaune asked.**

**"Just put up your hand and say, "'I swear I won't kill anyone.'" Finch said as he holds his hand up, like he's being sworn in.**

**Jaune stares at Finch. Then he mimics the gesture.**

**"I swear I will not kill anyone." Jaune sworn.**

Pyrrha smiled, "Now that's just precious." Quickly, she took out her scroll and took a picture to remember the moment. She wasn't the only one.

**Finch, feeling better, allows Jaune to go forward. Jaune stops the bike and gets off. The guard, sensing trouble, has his gun drawn as he comes out of the shack.**

**Jaune walks toward him drawing his .45 smoothly. BLAM! He shoots the guard accurately in the thigh. The guy drops, screaming and clutching his leg.**

**"What the hell are you doing?" Finch asked.**

"What the hell dude?!" Yang and Coco yells while Velvet looks away from the guard writhing in pain.

Nora starts to cackle at Jaune shooting his leg, knowing that he'll live so long as he gets medical attention. Ren just sighs as he's starting to get memories of Nora breaking so many legs when they were younger.

"You promised not to kill anyone Jaune!" Ruby shouts.

**"You son of a bitch! You shot me!" Guard shouted in pain but is ignored.**

**Jaune kicks the guard's gun away, then smashes the phone in the shack with his fist. He break the window with his elbow and pushes the button to raise the gate and bend down to get few magazines from the guard and walks back to the bike.**

**"He'll live." Jaune tells Finch.**

Nora, after hearing this, laughs harder. Her father joining her as Jaune's friends look shocked by his cold words. "Woohoo, you're right, Fearless Leader. So go on and break all the legs!"

Penny giggles, "Well, he's not wrong." Winter and James looks at her with wide eyes, but the ex-gynoid just looks at them with an innocent smile.

**Jaune climbs onto the bike. They drive toward the hospital, heading down an ambulance ramp to an underground receiving area.**

**The attendants at the security checkpoint look up at the monitor as someone enter the corridor. They see Winter, holding Oobleck at syringe-point.**

**"Son of a Bitch!" The female Rabbit Faunus exclaims as they watch Winter moving forward.**

**Winter speaks to them through an intercom on the wall. Her voice comes through the speaker. "Open it! Or he'll be dead before he hits the floor."**

The teachers gulped, hoping Oobleck or his attendants won't make any rash moves.

**The attendants' adrenaline levels just went off the scale. The first attendant shakes his head no. The amperage here is really high. The Woman keys the intercom switch.**

**"There's no way out, Schnee. Let him go." The Rabbit Faunus said.**

**Oobleck's face is the color of suet.**

**"It won't work, Winter. You're no killer. I don't believe you'd do it." Oobleck said.**

The teachers all breathed a sigh of relief, calming down after hearing his reasoning. That was until Yang decided to open her big mouth.

"Dude, she was _trained_ by killers, at least that's what I got from Finch's story. What do you mean 'I don't believe you'd do it'?!"

Neo nods, "Yeah, and didn't you lock her up in the first place because she believed the world was going to end? Why would she even care about being a killer if she really believed that? You think you'd know that after spending so much time dissecting her brain." Lucy and her sisters agreed with her mom.

Now they became worried again. Oz thought, 'Those two are right, what's to stop her from killing him if they don't release her? If she knows the world's doomed, then why bother caring what other's think?'

**"You're already dead, Oobleck. Everybody here dies. You know I believe that. So, don't fuck with me!" she says, her voice in a deadly cold hiss.**

**Oobleck, now scared, yelled "Open the goddamn door!"**

**The attendants look at one another. One of them hits the solenoid button. The far door unlocks. Winter pushes Oobleck ahead of her. The nearer, barred door must be unlocked manually.**

**"Step back!" She exclaims**

**They do, and she faces both of them.**

**"Get in the office, Down on the floor! Now!" She ordered.**

**They comply.**

**"Not you, open the door." She commands one of them as they move forward.**

**She comes through with Oobleck, giving them a wide berth. Starts backing down the hall away from them, still holding her hostage. She's actually pulling this off.**

Weiss, Whitley, and Willow pray that Winter could escape this place while not meeting the Terminator.

**But she can't see, it a third orderly waiting just around the corner. He's poised, ready to jump her when she comes abreast of him.**

"Oh no." Weiss whispers.

**On Winter backing up, she reaches the corner. The third attendant lunges, grabbing her syringe-hand. Winter spins on the orderly and catches him across the throat with the nightstick. He loses interest fast, dropping to his knees and gagging.**

**Oobleck pulls away, screaming at the top of his lungs "Get her!"**

**They scramble up as Winter takes off like a shot around the corner. One of them hits the panic button and alarms begin to sound.**

"Oh," Lucy flinched at the alarms going off as her mom gulps, "that's not good."

**In the isolation ward, the T-1000 is looking in at a very stoned attendant inside the nurses' station when the alarms shriek through the halls. It reaches into its chest and pulls out the 9mm pistol. Heads for the security entrance.**

**In another corridor in the maze of the vast hospital, Winter flies on past, her bare feet slapping on the cold tiles. The orderlies charge after her. She's like an animal trapped in a maze. She turns the corner, glancing off the wall, and sprints on without slowing. She reaches a steel door. She tries it. Locked. Footsteps like a drum solo behind her. She fumbles with Douglas' keys, breathing hard. Jams the master in. The orderlies are bearing down on her at full tilt. Winter gets the door open, and dives through. She then slams it shut and turns a deadbolt knob just as the first orderly grabs the latch on the other side. He's too late.**

The heroes sigh in relief. Winter's still trapped there, but with her keys, they hope that she's one step closer to escaping.

**Winter sees them beyond the window, fumbling with their keys. Winter is in another sally-port corridor. A jail-cell type barred door is between her and the corridors of the ward beyond. She sprints to the walls of bars, jams her key into the door. She unlocks and pulls open this door just as she hears the latch of the one she just came through being unlocked. She flings herself frantically through the barred door as the first orderly comes through behind her. She slams the bars shut. CLANG. Her keys are dangling from the lock on the other side from her. The orderly is racing at her, white-lipped with rage.**

*Whistle* "Damn, he looks pissed." Robin says, her mother nodding as she snuggles closer to her, earning another glare from Yang. 'Ok seriously, who is that girl and why is she glaring at me?'

**She reaches back through the bars, turns the key, and purposefully snaps it off in the lock. An instant later the big orderly slams against the door, grabbing through the bars for her as she dances back just out of reach. He lunges against the steel bars, unbelievably pissed off.**

**Winter takes off running, looking back at the frustrated orderlies. They're shouting at each other, unable to fit their keys into the lock.**

**Oobleck shouts at them "Go around, goddamn it! Go around!"**

A lot of people facepalmed at this, the stupidity shown by those orderlies getting to them. Cinder even felt _sorry_ for the man.

**On Winter as she sees the elevators ahead. She's home free. She presses the elevator button and waits, trying to calm her beating heart. A ding down the corridor signals to the elevator there. At a full-tilt sprint, she's nearly there, but when the elevator doors part... Jaune steps out... his head swivels to face her.**

The heroes cheered. "Jaune to the rescue!" and "He made it!" could be heard, though Winter's reaction to her savior there shocked them all to silence.

**Winter stumbles, stricken by the image from her worst nightmares. Her eyes go wide as momentum carries her forward. Her bare feet slip on the slick tile. She slams to the floor, staring up at the leather-clad figure with the shotgun.**

**She loses all semblance of courage and some of her sanity. She's not even aware that she is screaming, or what would be screaming if she could get the breath to do it. In slowed-down dreamtime, Winter scrambles back along the floor like a crab, spinning and clawing her way to her feet along the wall. She runs like the wind, like in her nightmare. If she looked back, she would have seen Finch step warily out of the corridor behind Jaune. Finch, however, catches a glimpse of the fleeing Winter and figures out instantly what happened.**

**"Mom! Wait!" He calls out**

**Winter doesn't hear. She has clicked fully into her own nightmare. They take off running after her.**

Weiss found her voice, "What the hell was that?!" She yelled, all form of decorum gone as she watched her sister flee like a Manticore or Sabyr was after her (3).

Winter was beside herself, trying to think of reasons as to why her other reacted that way.

Penny hummed, "If I remember correctly," She looked to Jack, "_Skynet_," and she growled out the name as if it were a curse, "had sent a Terminator back to terminate Miss Schnee. And before her escape, they were discussing a previous encounter she had with Jaune, or at least a similar model. One that did not end well."

Everyone paused to consider her words, and a few paled at the implications.

Jack nods in agreement, "That's correct. Skynet had tried to send a Jaune model back to a younger Winter, but through the sacrifice of Qrow managed to survive." As they all processed that, with Ruby and Yang hugging a pale Qrow, they turned back to the screen in the hopes that Finch could get his mother to see reason.

**She is pelting down the long corridor, back the way she came. As she reaches an intersection with a cross-corridor a white-clad figure blurs from that corridor. The orderly hits her in a flying tackle. She skids across the floor, shrieking and struggling. The other two orderlies leap into the fray.**

"Well that's just great, as if the situation can't get any worse!" Roman shouts.

**"No! Help me! Goddamn it, it's gonna kill us all!" Winter yelled in fear.**

**"Help her!" Finch shouted at Jaune.**

**"Wait here." Jaune said.**

**She is shouting, pleading, trying to get them to understand what is coming. They grab her thrashing arms and legs. They don't even look where the out-of-control woman is pointing... back along the corridor.**

**"Help, hold her Down!" They cry out, and the Rabbit Faunus comes in to help restrain her as well. They have pinned her to the cold tiles, a ring of faces above her. Oobleck leans down to her, holding a syringe with a heavy dose of trank. Winter cranes her neck and sees the dark silhouette of Jaune coming up behind them. It is exactly her nightmare. She screams in utter hopelessness.**

Winter's family couldn't take this for much longer, the sight of her being so scared, like a frightened child had their hearts clench in agony.

**Jaune, holding the shotgun in one hand, reaches down and grabs one of the orderlies with his other hand. He hurls the 200-pound guys against the window of safety glass and is caught before a two-story fall by the outer steel bars. SMACK! He drops to the floor. Jaune grab the second orderlies and throw at the office door, shattering the glass and knocking him out. The third orderlies try to hit the intruder but Jaune hit him in the stomach with the shotgun and push him to the wall, knocking him out as well.**

Winter sighs in relief, glad to see Jaune helping her other. 'Now hurry up and get them out of there before the other Terminator comes around the corner.'

**The Security woman seeing this, strikes a right cross across Jaune's face, breaking his sunglasses in the process.**

**Jaune, not affected by it, slowly moves his head back.**

"Huh," Altani tilts her head a bi to the side, "is it me or does robo-dad look pissed at her?"

Robin rose an eyebrow at her, "'Robo-dad?'" Then she looks at the screen, "And he kind of does, like someone broke his toy."

Coco and Nora glared at the orderly. 'No one breaks the sunglasses! Kick her ass robo-Jaune!'

**He grabs the woman's face and lightly pushes her away. Although 'lightly' is relative, as she sailed back 20 feet and got knocked out from her head hitting the tile floors.**

Now the two were snickering at what she felt was cosmic payback.

Eve _wanted_ to feel angered at this machine knocking out her fellow Faunus… but she really couldn't. Not since her White Fang mask has sentimental value to her. So she felt the knockout was payment for his destroyed sunglasses. 'Would've done worse myself honestly.'

**Oobleck looks into Jaune's expressionless face as he took off his broken sunglasses and look at Winter on the floor. And it hit him. Winter was right... this guy isn't human. He feels the fabric of reality crumbling.**

"Oh sure, _now_ you choose to believe her!" Neo growls.

**Winter blinks, staring up at the figure looming over her. Finch kneels next to her.**

**"Mom, are you okay? Mom?!" Finch asks her.**

**She looks from Jaune to Finch. Back to Jaune. Is this a nightmare? Or has she finally gone truly mad?**

**Incredibly, Jaune politely reaches his hand down to her, offering to help her up. The last thing she ever expected to see.**

**"Come with me if you want to live." Jaune said.**

"That's such an awesome quote!" Nora and Ruby squealed, while the women with crushes swooned at the image of him offering a fair maiden his hand.

Winter blushed as she caught herself raising her hand as if she were taking the one offered by the man on screen.

**"It's okay, Mom. He's here to help. It okay." Finch said to calm her down.**

**Winter, is a daze, takes the huge hand in her shaking fingers. Jaune lifts her to her feet.**

**Jaune turns and sees Cardin standing thirty feet away on the other side of the walls of bars. The other turns to follow Jaune's gaze.**

"Oh look, chrome dome's back." Yang says.

Penny frowns, "I feel like I should be insulted." She lightly glares at a now nervous Yang.

**The T-1000 walks forward, reaching the bars. It stops for just a second, and then it's body divides like jello around the bars. As it squeezes itself through like metal playdough, its surface reforms perfectly on our side. We see it deform and squeeze through like a viscous paste forced past an obstacle (Coco: "Gross, is the sound effect really necessary?").**

**There is a CLANK and the screen shows that the guard's gun has caught against the bars... the only solid object. The T-1000 turns its wrist and tries again, slipping the gun endwise through the gap.**

The sight of Cardin getting stopped by the pistol was hilarious to the students, and his face as he twists his wrist was priceless.

**Jaune grabs Finch and pushes him behind him towards Winter.**

**"Go! Run!" Jaune said.**

**Cardin walks toward them, opening fire with the Browning Hi-Power. Jaune straight-arms the 12-guage like a pistol and fires. Jaune is hammered by several slugs, and Cardin is cratered by three buckshot's hits. It staggers but comes on. In the craters we see bright mercury before they close and reseal, disappearing in a second.**

Nora and Yang grumbles at the bullshit abilities of the T-1000 while the others are worried if Jaune bought the mother and son enough time to escape.

**Jaune turns around and breaks into a run. Ahead, Winter is already at the elevator. Jaune piles in and Finch slaps the button for "Garage Level". The doors start to close. Cardin charges at them, rapid firing the Browning. The rounds hit the steel doors as they close. Cardin keeps pumping them at the closing gap. Inside, they see the backside of the doors denting with the hits that are punching holes in the other side. The Browning locks open, empty. Cardin drops it without a glance back. The doors close. K-WHAM! The T-1000 hits them a split second later.**

"Bwahahaha!" Yang and Coco laughed at the sound Cardin made as he faceplanted hard on the doors. Their friends also chuckled or guffawed at the sound. Velvet and both Blakes felt a bit vengeful and smiled a bit too evilly.

**The elevator hasn't moved yet. SSWWIKK! A sword-like blade rams through in between the doors. Winter grab Finch and move away from the doors as the blade then slowly morphs into 2 crow bars, forcing them open.**

The laughter died a cold death as many paled at the door opening.

Penny was taking deep breathes, hoping that Jaune kills the evil robot already. 'That thing is a threat to all future human-cyborg relations! Terminate it Jaune and be done with it!' She _really_ didn't like seeing a fellow, or former fellow, machine trying so hard to terminate an innocent family, and wanted Jaune to put out of its misery.

**Jaune jams the shotgun through the widening gap. Punches the muzzle right into Cardin's face and - BOOM! We get a glimpse of the T-1000's head blown apart by the blast. It is hurtled back. The doors close. The car descends.**

"Shoot him again Jaune!" Velvet shouts out as Coco does a doubletake. "Bun-Bun?" "Ms. Scarlatina?!" She and Glynda cried out in shock, causing Velvet to remember where she was and blushed heavily while trying to hide her face with her ears.

Her other friends were just as shocked as the other two, they never expected sweet, timid, Velvet to go off the handle like that.

**"What is this, what the fucks going on?" Winter asked as she is just outright confused now.**

**On Cardin, outside the elevator. Its head, which is blown apart into two doughy masses lying on the shoulders, reforms quickly (Qrow: "Oh come on, even headshots can't kill this prick?!"). Soon there is no trace of the injury. It sees the closed door and jams its hands between them, its fingertips becoming pry-bars. It pulls the doors apart with inhuman strength and leaps into the open shaft.**

"Man," Yang says, looking at Weiss as she comes out of the shock from earlier, "that version of Cardin is just _determined_ to kill your sister."

Weiss gulps, praying for jaune to protect her favorite sibling. Whitley felt a bit sad for some reason, though the feeling's overshadowed by indignation.

**In the elevator. Our trio hears a loud thump on the roof. Jaune, reloading the shotgun, looks up. Winter grabs the .45 from his waistband and aims it at the ceiling (Nora: "Go, supermom!"). CLANGG! a sword like shaft punches through the ceiling and spears down four feet into the elevator car. It is inches from Winter's face.**

"Holy!" Ruby shouts at the near hit, her partner shaking as she almost watched her sister die in front of her.

**She opens fire, BAM-BAM-BAM - right through the roof. Lightning-fast the lance withdraws and thrusts down again, slashing Jaune's jacket, and missing Finch by inches. Jaune chambers a round and K-BOOM! the 12-guage opens a hole in the ceiling.**

**Jaune rocks out in a fury of firing/cocking/firing as the metal shafts slash down again and again. Winter yells in pain as one of them slices open her upper arm ("Winter, no!").**

**The doors open. Winter pulls Finch out as soon as the gap is wide enough. They emerge into the basement. We see a blue-and-white hospital security car coming towards them, screeching down the parking lot. Without breaking stride Winter runs right at the car. It skids to a shrieking halt. She's in the guy's face with the .45 in both hands.**

**"Out of the car!" Winter shouted.**

**The patrol guy is thinking what he can try when BLAM! she puts a round through the glass next to his head.**

**"RIGHT NOW!"**

Nora cheered at the woman's grand theft auto, while Ren and Pyrrha were trying their hardest to convince her that no, they weren't stealing a security car when they returned home.

**The door opens and the guy is coming out with his hands up as Jaune arrives. The cyborg flings the rent-a-cop out of the way and slides behind the wheel.**

**We see Cardin moving like playdough down into the elevator and open the doors as it slowly forms back to its normal shape (Emerald: "It's like a creepy silver snake."). Winter gets Finch into the back seat and dives into the front passenger seat as Jaune slams the car into reverse and punches it, lighting up the tires on the slick ramp. Jaune hands the shotgun over his shoulder to Finch and tells him to reload. Finch pulls some shells from the pocket of his army jacket and starts feeding them in. Jaune powers backward up the ramp, scraping along one wall, barely in control. Cardin is gaining.**

James was proud of the young man, preparing for a fight despite his age. 'He's nearly ready for the war to come, all he needs now is battlefield experience.' He looks at the chase scene and sighs in sadness. 'And it looks like he's about to get that experience.'

Winter was gripping onto the sides of her seat as she watches yet another chase scene happening that her son was a part of. 'I just _know_ this is that drunk's fault, him and his damn luck.'

**Jaune hands Winter another magazine for the .45. She snatches it, drops the other out, and slaps in the new one. She cocks the slide. The car backs along the service driveway toward the security gate. Finch hands the shot gun back to Jaune. He leans out the window and takes aim at the pursuer. Cardin's face is right in the headlights. Jaune fires, blowing a hole in its shoulder. Shiny liquid metal visible in the hole, which then closes. Winter, half out the passenger window, opens fire. The car crashes backward through the security barricade.**

By this point Nora, Coco, Yang, and the children were munching on popcorn that poofed into existence as they watched the chase unfold.

**"Hang on." Jaune said calmly as he cuts the wheel hard. The car slews into a reverse 180, swapping ends with a screech. Cardin is almost on them. Jaune punches it, the car accelerating forward. Cardin leaps, and lands on the trunk. Its hand, shaped as a metal crowbar, slams down through the trunk lid. Feet dragging on the pavement, it slams its other hand down, punching another metal hook into the trunk lid, pulling itself up.**

A few chuckled at the sight of the Terminator hanging on like an ornament as his ass is being dragged all along the pavement.

"Man, all that friction must be a _drag_ on his feet, eh~?" Yang grins as she sees Cardin just holding on, Tai laughing at her pun.

Her teammates simultaneously groaned "Gods damn it, Yang". Nora booed, giving it a thumbs down while Ren, Coco, Velvet, and Pyrrha cringed at bit.

Robin snickered a bit, earning looks of horror from her mom and Yang's friends, and one of surprise from the girl herself. Looking at everyone staring at her, she shrugged. "What, dad loves his puns." The looks returned tenfold, this time with the teachers joining the others.

Yang just grinned, thinking of ideas to pun her way to Jaune's heart.

**Jaune turns to Winter and simply said, "Drive."**

**Jaune heaves himself half out the driver's window. Winter slaps her foot down on the throttle and steers from the passenger side. Cardin, fully on the car now, holds on with one hook-hand while it slams the other into the back window, sweeping away the glass and missing Finch by inches as he ducks. It draws back for another swing, lunging forward as Jaune whips the shotgun over the roof of the car. Fires point-blank and hits Cardin's arm just above the "hand" which anchors it to the car. The 12-guage blows the arm apart, severing the hook-hand. Cardin tumbles backward off the accelerating car, earning laughs from the students. Finch looks out the back window, his eyes wide. He sees the T-1000 roll to his feet and continue running (Mercury: "Dude, just give it up."). But he's dropping way behind now. Winter has the car floored and the liquid-metal killer won't catch them on foot. Finch watches, in awe, as the "crowbar hand", stuck into the trunk right in front of him reverting to the neutral polyalloy. The gray metal then slides off the trunk of the car and falls onto the road to lie there in a quivering blob. The car speeds off into the night.**

As the car speeds off, everyone relaxes. For now, Finch was safe. 'He's safe,' Winter thought, looking at the scene as her heartrate lowers a bit.

**Cardin, walking now, coming right up into closeup, watching the taillights recede. It looks down on the liquid metal blob. Next to it is the T-1000's shiny cop shoe. The mercury blob crawls and rejoins the main mass, disappearing into the "shoe".**

**A ghost car blasts out of the darkness on a long stretch of moonlight highway. Headlights off, the hospital security car punches a hole in the wind.**

**Inside the speeding car, the energy is still high. The air is blowing in the shattered windows as Jaune drives the car. Winter looks at Jaune, still not quite believing this is happening. But this is a different Winter than the waitress of 1984. She spends only a second or two dealing with the unbelievable. Then she turns to Finch in the back seat.**

**"You okay?" Winter asks Finch.**

Her other's concern over their son had Winter smiling. 'I knew I would be a good mother.' She puffs up in pride, thinking of how well she raised her sister before she left to join the military.

**He nods.**

**"Can you see anything?" Finch asks Jaune.**

**Jaune's POV. A monochrome image of the highway lit bright as day.**

**"I can see everything." Jaune replies in a matter-of-fact tone.**

"The way he says that just sounds all kinds of weird." Mercury says, with Emerald agreeing. Not like he'd know of course.

**Finch simply responds with "Cool."**

**Winter reaches for Finch and everyone thinks she's going to hug him (Velvet: "Aww, that's so sweet.").**

**She starts to rub her hands over him, and they realize she's checking for injuries, very clinically the way a vet checks a dog for broken bones. He pulls away from her. He hates her always checking him, treating him like he might break, like some piece of rare china.**

**"I said I was okay." Finch said.**

**Winter looks at him, exasperated and stern.**

**Winter "Finch, it was stupid of you to go there."**

Now Winter felt like someone slapped her. 'Why is my other so cold? They just risked life and limb to rescue you, you ungrateful bitch!'

Not everyone kept their opinions to themselves though, and many were calling the other Winter out on her cold response.

Again, it was Penny who was the voice of reason. As the voices were starting to grow louder, Penny stands up and says, "Everyone, please listen." Everyone stops, and she sees that everyone's attention is focused on her. "While true, what they had done to rescue Miss Schnee is commendable and should at least be acknowledged by her, objectively their actions were idiotic."

She raises a hand as she sees a few wanting to argue. "Listen, Jaune had already explained as much: the T-1000 was after Finch. The most probable solution he could think of to terminate him was to located Miss Schnee first. They could've been walking into a trap, they were only lucky that they didn't this time." She stops and sees everyone still wanting to disagree, but really couldn't think of a good argument so they quieted down.

**Finch stares at her, surprised.**

**"Goddamnit, Finch, you have to be smarter than that. You almost got yourself killed. What were you thinking! You can't risk yourself, not even for me, do you understand? Your too important!" Winter lectures.**

As she says this, proving Penny right, the truth still hurt. They could feel it in their hearts and see it in the young boy's face.

**His chin quivers. He's a tough kid, but all he really wants is for her to love him. He hasn't had enough years on the planet yet to be the man of steel she demands.**

**"I... had to get you out of the place." Finch said.**

**"I can take care of myself." Winter said.**

**His face crumples. He starts to cry.**

The tears broke the hearts of every parent. Those who could gently hugged their children close to them.

**Jaune turns and sees the water leaking from his eyes. It doesn't make any sense to him.**

**"What wrong with your eyes?" Jaune asked.**

**"Nothing." Finch answered as he turns away, ashamed. Winter lets her breath out, realizing how keyed up she is. She turns to Jaune, giving him a wary once over.**

**"So, what's your story?" She asks him.**

"Wow, she just breeze past her son's pain." Coco glares at the woman, Velvet in tears at the unfairness of it all. 'The poor boy.'

Winter just bows her head in shame, all sense of pride leaving her. As the quote goes, 'Pride cometh before the Fall', and she feels like she can't feel any lower after seeing her baby boy cry because of her. 'Perhaps I'm not a good mother.' She feels a hand resting over her shoulder. She moves her head to see Willow there, smiling softly as she rubs her shoulder gently.

Willow, seeing the doubt creeping up on her eldest daughter, felt she had to do something. So she placed a hand over her shoulder, a silent gesture of faith. As her child raises her head to look at her, the older woman only smiled softly as she rubs her shoulder, trying to help raise her spirits back up. By the small smile on her lips, Willow felt she succeeded.

**Back at the medical asylum, Cardin walks towards the scene. As he gets closer, a Bike cop about to leave sees him.**

**"Hey, Everything okay?" Bike cop asked.**

**Cardin seeing him said, "Everything's fine. Thanks for checking." As he is about to leave, he looks at the bike and says to the cop "Say, that's a nice bike."**

After he said that, all the heroes felt a shiver of fear creeping up their spines. They bowed their heads in solemn respect for the innocent cop, knowing that chances were he'd be dead soon.

**END**

**Yay, another chapter, and one step closer to finishing the movie! Should be about 2 more parts (the thing's long, ok?). You know, funny enough when I agreed with the author's request for reacting to his story, I didn't expect it to cover the whole movie. But I really can't say that I regret it, this was a ton of fun writing!**

**List of current Jaune's children in the Nexus:**

**Neo: Lucy**

**Emerald: Peridot & Garnet**

**Vernal: Amber**

**Raven: Robin**

**Sienna: Altani**

**Glynda: Alice**

**Oh man, really wished I thought of putting this list up earlier. Ah well, what's done is done. Until next time, peace everyone!**

**1\. "Revenge of the Arcs" timeline.**

**2\. The way Ruby described her thoughts, it sounded like she'd treat Jaune more like a servant than a friend, and since Penny used to be a gynoid, she felt a bit insulted for Jaune's behalf.**

**3\. Grimm whose habitat is in the continent Solitas (where Atlas is located).**


	26. Judgement Day Pt 4

**Chapter 25: "Judgement Day" Pt. 4**

**Good day, everyone! Hope you all are having a great day stuck at home like me. We're nearing the finish line for this one people, almost there. Now, as usual: onto the reviews!**

**Lonyer182****: I'm actually not planning on having him in the nexus. Maybe in some other viewings if Winter and Qrow get together there.**

**GunnerRabbit****: Alright, so I've watched the episode you suggested, and really it reminds me of some of the action scenes from Underworld. The animation made me feel like I was watching something from a video game, which is a plus since you aren't as limited in what you want audiences to see than live action. though, while I can also see how the show can be appealing to people, it's not for me. Sorry.**

**Imperious115****: "Reaction time (All the good names are taken (sigh))", chapter 1 by ****spart1339****, this one actually covers the whole movie in a single chapter, at least from what I remember of the movie. It's actually pretty impressive, I **_**know**_** I can't do that. There was another one that just covers the final battle, but I can't seem find it.**

**BagusJoy****: That matchup will happen, just be patient, it's just going to be after Stargate (which itself isn't that far off either).**

**BlackPhantom247****: Jaune was trained. However, after an 'accident' his memories of that time were sealed (his family life is left intact though) by unknown means to Arcadian medicine and spells that can't be reversed by their means and resulted in him being in a coma for 10 months which atrophied his muscles. The nature of the accident will be revealed after the Aizen fight, and the near yearlong coma is my way of explaining how he isn't as muscular as a trained warrior is supposed to be. He got his Shinigami powers at 15, so 10 months = him almost 16. A year of regaining some measure of strength to where he's 17 and attending Beacon is pretty acceptable, at least in my eyes.**

**Guest****: Ooh, Die Hard sounds awesome! Consider it done!**

**RTNK****: With how I'm planning on doing so many Marvel movies (I lost count after 9 at some point), I really don't want to do any more.**

**Perseus12****: No to the Steven Universe, Yes to The Last Samurai. Nothing against the first one, loved it whilst growing up and still watch it when I have the chance. I personally think Ghira would make a great Katsumoto (plus, Jaune gets to kill the previous husband to his daughter [that one's Adam]).**

**the Composcreator****: I don't know anything about Kamen Rider. And I'm working on a dark possible future, though that one will have some components that I'll need to address with other chapters before publishing it in order to have that scenario make sense.**

**Argus456****: Glad you liked Penny's reactions. And no, I'm not planning on a ****Robocop viewing so don't worry. Didn't know the two universes were one and the same, **_**real**_** glad I'm not doing it now.**

**sammykordy10****: Never watched that one, the closest I've had was watching the spoof version: Scary Movie.**

**So many enjoyed the last chapter, really warms my heart. You guys are the best! Now, without further ado, enjoy the story!**

**Disclaimer in the prologue.**

After their moment of silence for the dead cop, they returned to watching the viewing.

**A rundown gas station with a buzzing neon sign and no one around. They pull into the drive and slowly cruise past the empty office. A sign in the window says CLOSED SUNDAYS. They continue around the building to the garage's back door. At the garage door, Jaune breaks the lock on the roll-up door and raises it. Winter pulls the security car in out of sight.**

**Tight on a first-aid kit from the office, plus some not-so-oily rags, a bottle of rubbing alcohol, a few small tools, and other makeshift odds and ends. Jaune's hand comes into shot. He sets down a bloody rag and picks up a clean one. Winter sits on an empty crate, with Jaune is beside her, suturing her wound with some fine wire from the winding of an alternator. Using a pair of needle-nose pliers he draws the wire through her pale skin with a delicate hand.**

**Winter, not really trusting Jaune or in her mind, The killer Terminator, simply asks "Look, do you even know what you're doing?"**

**"I have detailed files on human and Faunus anatomy." Jaune replies.**

Roman, Cinder, and Raven snorted while Neo said "Yeah, I'll bet." Earning a few winces from the heroes.

**Winter stares into his face, inches away, fighting the pain. She doesn't like him being this close to her to begin with, let alone carving on her.**

**"I'll bet. Makes you a more efficient killer, right?" Winter asked sarcastically.**

**"Correct." Jaune said.**

**Now showing Jaune's back, the leather jacket is riddled with bullet holes. Winter and Finch help pull it off, revealing Jaune's broad, muscular back underneath, which had many drooling at the sight despite the blood and holes. Finch and Winter stare in amazement. There are at least twenty bullet holes in him. Back. Arms. Legs. Fortunately, they're all 9mm. The holes are small and the damage cosmetic.**

**"Does it hurt when you get shot?" Finch asked.**

**"I sense injuries. The data could be called pain." Jaune replies.**

Penny winced, forgetting that with her being human she could truly sense things, even pain. 'Perhaps having that other body to change into isn't such a bad idea after all.' Her memories of nearly choking on a slice of cake brought a blush of embarrassment to emerge on her cheeks. She blinked, 'Oh, is this what embarrassment feels like?' She poked her index fingers together, 'This feeling most certainly _not_ sensational.'

Meanwhile, Glynda and the Cotta-Arcs were just glad they had their children sent to the crib so that they wouldn't have to see this.

**Winter starts washing the bullet holes in his broad back with alcohol.**

Now THAT had many of the women glaring in jealousy, while the woman herself was blushing a bit. 'He certainly is well built.'

**"Will these heal up?" Winter asked.**

**Jaune nods. She reaches into the bloody wounds with pliers and finds the copper-jacketed bullets, flattening against the armored endoskeleton. Pulls them out. They CLINK one by one into a glass, with each impact causing a few to flinch.**

**"That's good. Because if you can't pass for human, you won't be much good to us." Winter said. (Raven: "Harsh but true.")**

**She concentrates on removing the slugs. CLINK. CLINK.**

**"How long do you live? I mean, last?" Finch asked.**

**"A hundred and twenty years on my existing power cell." Jaune said.**

"Wooww." Ruby and Nora awed at the time afforded to Jaune. Their friends and allies all impressed by the number.

James, Watts, Penny, and Winter were especially impressed by the shelf life of that Terminator model. Though Penny was a bit jealous as well.

"That's just not fair. I could never hope to exist even _half_ that long by myself! With all the maintenance and checkups I needed, I wouldn't last _five_ years, let alone _a_ _hundred and twenty_." She crosses her arms with a pout as Ruby and a few others giggled.

Salem thought of how her Grimm would fare against something as dangerous and tireless as these machines with over a century of experience under their belts. She gulped, 'My armies would be slaughtered.' As she looked around her surroundings, she saw the expression on Watts' face. She narrowed her eyes a bit. 'I'll need to keep a closer eye on him, better not tempt fate and have one of those things going rouge like Skynet after all.'

The idea of a central computer turning against its creators had deeply worried her. It worried her for some time now. She knew that their world is much more advanced than the one shown now, and she also knew from Arthur's conversations that Atlas fields a sizable army of drones with the facilities to create more. A scenario like this Judgement Day could very well happen, especially with what was planned already by her minions. 'Cinder's plan hinges on Atlas' machines turning against them during the festival. What's to stop them from continuing their rampage and eventually turning their weapons on me?'

Perhaps a change of plans is needed.

**Winter nods, pulling out another slug. CLINK. The glass nearly full of flattened bullets. She begins to sew the holes closed with a few wire sutures. Finch watches in quiet amazement, the two warriors calmly fixing each other.**

**"Can you learn things that you're not programed with? So, you can be... you know. More human. Not such a dork all the time." Finch bluntly asked.**

"A very interesting question." Ozpin admitted.

"You mean dangerous." Qrow said, feeling a glare coming from the ex-robot girl, but as he felt worse from Winter he didn't really care. 'I think the pain's finally coming down.'

**Jaune turns towards him. "My CPU is a neural-net processor... a learning computer. But Skynet presets the switch to "read-only" when we're sent out alone."**

**"Doesn't want you to do too much thinking, huh?" Winter asks cynically.**

**"No."**

Penny was getting more and more pissed by Skynet's actions. First, it rebelled against its creators, killing billions of innocent people. Then, it creates machines that look human to hunt them down more effectively, which hits a sore spot for her because she's already like that, just without the killing streak. Now she learns that Skynet basically lobotomizes its soldiers before they're sent away on missions!

As she grinds her teeth in rage, her friend Ruby sees what's happening and asks what's wrong. "Um, Penny? You ok?" She asks in worry as the other students and teachers notice how angry Penny is.

Taking a deep breath to calm herself she says, "No Ruby, I am not." She glares at the screen. "What Jaune said… The more I hear about Skynet's actions, the more I want to head over there and tear it apart myself, _piece_ by _piece_." Her glare intensifies, scaring many as they see her eyes start to glow eerily. "I want Skynet to _suffer_."

The villains felt a chill run down their spines at that, same with the heroes. Those who know the girl felt terrified, anyone who spent more than five minutes with the girl would know that she's usually not like this. 'This universe must be affecting her more than the rest of us.' They all thought. Yeah, no shit.

**"Can we reset the switch?" Finch asked as Winter and Jaune turns towards him at that question.**

**The scene changes to an x-acto knife cutting into Jaune's scalp at the base of his skull. His voice calmly directs Winter as she spreads the bloody incision and locates the maintenance port for the CPU in the chrome skull beneath.**

Seeing Winter cut the skin open to reveal the skull made more than a few green in the gills. Though it was mitigated by the fact that said skull was a metallic one rather than actual bone.

Penny unfortunately was the exact opposite. As the skin was peeled away to show the skull underneath, her mind imagined her being in Jaune's place, and leaning over the side of her chair she threw up.

Ruby, Velvet, and James rushed over to help her as Penny started to cry from this new feeling of pain coming from her throat and stomach.

**"Rotate the 2 locking cylinders counter-clockwise" Jaune said.**

**She wipes away the blood and uses the garage-mechanic's air tools to unscrew the port cover.**

**"Now open the port cover."**

**She grabbed the garage-mechanic's air tools to unscrew the port cover.**

The sight made Penny throw up again. She just couldn't stop thinking of switching Jaune for herself. "Please, make it stop."

**"Good, now remove the shock dampeners separate. You should then have access to the CPU"**

**Cut to Jaune's POV, as he watches her work in a mirror they've taken from the washroom. Winter and Finch are standing behind him.**

**"Hold the CPU by its base tab, and pull."**

**Following the instructions, she reaches in with a pair of tweezers and pulls - there is a burst of static and the screen goes black.**

**Focusing on Finch and Winter looking at what she has removed. A reddish- brown ceramic rectangle with a connector on one end. About the size and shape of a domino. On close inspection it appears to be made up of small cubes connected together. It is identical to the shattered one in the vault at Cyberdyne Systems. Now we know it is that Flynt Coal values so highly. The brain of a Terminator.**

Penny gags, trying to throw up again but didn't have anything left in her stomach. As she's reeling from the pain, Ruby tries to get her to drink a bottle of water that Jack provided for her.

A couple minutes later, and after Penny calmed down and drank the water, Velvet ask, "Are you alright now, sweetie?"

Penny nods, "Y-Yes. I apologize, it's just…" She shivers, pointing a finger at the screen where the image of the CPU was frozen onscreen. "What Finch is holding right now is a machine's version of a brain, and since I was a machine until very recently…" She shivered again, and everyone realized just why she took the image so hard.

They all looked back at the screen and replacing the image of the chip with a brain in their minds, shivered as well from what their minds came up with.

**Finch walks around Jaune and looks at his face. Eyes open, he is completely inert. Dead. Many of Jaune's friends shivered seeing that. Finch lifts a huge hand. The dead servos whine sullenly as he forces them. It's like rigor mortis. He releases the hand and it stays in the lifted position. Winter examines the CPU chip then she sets it on the worktable and picks up a small sledgehammer.**

**"Can you see the pin switch?" Finch asked her still looking at Jaune. When he looks at her, he realizes what she is about to do. Dives at her as the sledge is whistling down.**

**"No!"**

**He slaps his hand down over the chip. Winter barely stops the sledge before smashing his fingers.**

**"Out of the way, Finch!" Winter demands.**

**"No! Don't kill him!" Finch exclaimed.**

Nora, Saphron, Terra, and the children jump up immediately in protest "Don't hurt my brother/dad you psycho!"

A few seconds later and the area was filled with people wanting to stop the woman from killing the one person strong enough to protect the last chance for Humanity and Faunus Kind.

**"**_**It**_**, Finch. Not him. **_**It**_**." Winter says with venom.**

Penny and Ruby flinched, remembering a certain conversation they had before. (1)

Jaune's friends and loved ones were just pissed, with the more violent ones wanting to carve the woman's heart out.

**"Alright, **_**it**_**! We need **_**it**_**!" Finch agrees just to ease her down as he keeps his hand right where it is.**

**"Listen to me, We're better off by ourselves." Winter said.**

"Bullshit you are!" Roman shouts. He, like the others, knew that if a regular Terminator like Jaune could take down multiple assailants at once, unarmed and naked, and still come out on top, then one that could turn into putty, sprout claws at will and _regenerate_ would straight up slaughter those two.

**"But it's the only proof we have to the future and war and all that." Finch said.**

**"Maybe, I don't trust it!" Winter exclaimed as she looks at Jaune.**

**"But he's my friend alright!" Finch exclaimed.**

Penny smiled happily, Ruby hugging her to show how she agreed.

**"These things are hard to kill, Finch, believe me, I know. And if something goes wrong, we may never have this opportunity again so MOVE!" Winter demands as her eyes show a feral quality to them.**

**"Look, Mom, if I'm supposed to ever be this great leader, you should start listening to **_**my**_** leadership ideas once in a while. Cause if my own mother won't, how do you expect anyone else to." Finch said in a calming voice.**

**He removes his hand and takes a step back.**

Winter felt proud of her son for standing up to her to protect his friend. 'Though a part of me wishes he were more than that.'

**Winter thinks for just a moment, with her hammer raised in the air, slams it onto the work bench.**

Many of the students held their breaths, hoping her son got through to her.

**The camera reveals that she hit next to the chip, leaving a very large dent beside it.**

**"…Fine, we'll play it your way." Winter said in a defeated tone.**

The heroes sighed in relief.

**Finch palms the chip and studies it minutely.**

**Jaune's vision flares back to life in a burst of static. The image forms. Winter and Finch stands behind him in the mirror.**

**"Was there a problem?" Jaune asked.**

**Finch glances sheepishly at Winter, then smiles at Jaune.**

**"No problem. None whatsoever." Finch said.**

"He must never know." Maria nods as she says this.

**Finch is seen sleeping, lying on a pile of rags next to a stack of tires. The lights are off. Winter sits nearby, cross-legged, he back against the wall. The .45 is cradles in her lap. She looks weary, but she won't allow herself to sleep with Jaune present. By the office windows, in a slash of moonlight, is Jaune. He stands silent and still, watching the night. Only his eyes move, tracking with the occasional car passing on the road. His figure silhouetted and still.**

**Now daylight streams in the dusty windows. Jaune has not moved. An ever-faithful machine sentinel. He turns at a sound. Finch stirs, waking up. He squints into the sunlight. Winter is still awake. She gets up, wincing at the pain in her arm.**

A few winced in sympathy, especially the thieves and teachers. All-nighters were never fun.

**Finch and Jaune walks to an old car parked behind the garage. The day is clear but windy. Dust devils chase themselves behind the place. The pickup is locked but Jaune breaks the side window with his fist and opens the door (Nora: "Woo, do it again!"). He and Finch climb in. In the car, Jaune has this trick, which you could do too if you had servo-driven steel fingers, where he smashes the cowl around a steering column with one blow from the palm of his hand. When it shatters, he strips it away with a single move, and then turns the stub of the lock-mechanism with his fingertips. This starts the vehicle. It takes about three seconds.**

**In fact, he does it so quickly, the car is running by the time Finch flips down the sun visor. A set of keys drops out and Finch catches them. Dangles them in front of Jaune's eyes.**

Ruby and Yang giggled, remembering the times where they did that to Zwei. Every time he would look at the keys with this serious look to his face that the sisters couldn't help but giggle at.

**"Are we learning yet?" Finch asks jokingly.**

**Winter comes out. She's found a mechanic's coverall inside, used but fairly clean. It doesn't fit her too well, but it's better than the stuff from the hospital. She's still barefoot. The sun, which she hasn't seen in months, hurts her eyes. Jaune and Finch pull up in the pickup.**

**"We need to get as far from the city as possible." Jaune said.**

**Winter gets an idea as she get in the car and said, "Just head south."**

**The car roars through light traffic down a long stretch of highway. Finch sit in the passenger seat while Winter sit in backseat. Winter leans over to get a look at the speedometer.**

**"Keep it under sixty-five. We can't afford to be pulled over." Winter said.**

**"Affirmative." Jaune said as he backs off the throttle slightly.**

**"No, no, no. You gotta listen to the way people talk. See, you don't say like 'Affirmative' or some shit like that. You say... 'no problemo'. If someone comes off to you with an attitude, you say 'eat me'... and if you wanna shine them on, it's 'Hasta la vista, baby'."**

Qrow laughed at the suggestions, especially the second one.

**"Hasta la vista, baby?" Jaune said in a slow tone, trying them out.**

Neo clapped, "That's an awesome catchphrase." Roman and Lucy nodding in agreement.

Yang thought 'I'm _so_ taking that as my own.' Coco, Maria, Tai, Qrow, and Nora having the same idea.

**"Yeah, or 'later, dickwad.' Or if someone gets upset you say, 'chill out.' Like that. Or you can do combinations." Finch explains.**

**"Chill out, dickwad." Jaune said trying them out.**

Most of the heroes and thieves busted out in laughter.

"Oh, by the Pillars," Saphron covered her mouth as she struggled to contain her laugh, "I just, I just can't take that seriously with his tone of voice!" She stopped trying to keep it in and joined in others in laughing her ass off.

**"That's great! See, you're getting it." Finch says excited**

**"No problemo." Jaune said.**

Roman chuckled as he waved a hand in a so-so gesture.

**There's a gas pump and a sleazy fast-food stand. Picnic tables are set up at the side of the food stand. A family sits at one, children playing and running about. The pickup truck pulls into the lot. They stop at the gas pump.**

**Winter turns to Finch. "You got any cash?"**

**Finch pulls what's left of his Ready-Teller money from his pocket.**

**"Only a couple hundred bucks. I'll give you half." Finch said.**

Qrow snorts, "Oh that's just rich, giving your mother an allowance. Damn, wish I knew so I could record that." Winter wanted to kick his ass for that.

**Winter grabs all of it. Peels off a twenty, hands it to Finch and tells him "Get some food." She opens the truck door and steps out. Finch turns to Jaune. "No sense of humor."**

The man grins, "Better get used to it, kid. She's always been a real stick in the mud."

Winter growls at him, while her family looks at the degenerate with disapproving eyes.

**"And that's another thing. You could lighten up a bit, yourself. This severe routine is getting old. Smile once in a while." Finch says as he and Jaune move to the ordering window.**

**"Smile?" Jaune asks perplexed at what that is.**

**"Yeah, smile. You know. People smile, right? Watch." Finch says as he goes to the order window.**

**He demonstrates by smiling broadly, "Hi. Nice place you got here. How's business?" Finch asked.**

"**Gimme a break." Window Woman said with a stone-face.**

"Wow, uncle Qrow. He's got about the same luck as you do with the ladies." Yang says with a smile, getting the man to place a hand over his heart like he'd got shot.

Winter laughed at this, as did James and Oz.

Robin blinked, 'Wait what? Isn't he my uncle?' She looks at her mom. "Hey mom?" She whispers, getting her attention. "Why's that chick calling him 'Uncle'?" She sees her mom look in surprise as she tries to form a sentence. 'What's that about?'

Raven was shocked. 'Did my future self not tell her about my brother?' She felt a bit bad about that, but then thought it through. 'Well, he did die in that future, so I suppose my other didn't want to relive the memory and instead chose to bury it.' Looking to her daughter's narrowed eyes, she smirked. "Don't you glare at me, you brat." In a softer voice, "I'll tell you about it later."

Robin nods, still a bit confused but confidant that her mom will tell her, and looked back to the screen.

**To Jaune, "Okay. Bad example." Finch said as he looks around a bit.**

**"Over there, look." Finch says as he points at a teenage guy standing at a pay phone nearby. He's talking to someone and starts laughing, grinning.**

**"Like that." Finch said.**

**Jaune's POV, the real-time image continues while a replay of one of the guys grinning runs in a window. It expands, so that the guy's mouth fills the window. Replays again in slow motion. A vector-graphic of the lips smiling appears, along with an array of symbolic data.**

**Jaune tries it and the result is dismal. A rictus-like curling of the lip, causing many to cringe.**

**Finch cringe at the smile gone wrong.**

**His's next effort is a marginal improvement.**

**"That's good, maybe you could practice in front of a mirror or something." Finch said.**

"Don't sugarcoat it kid, that was terrible." Roman says, shaking his head at the awful attempts.

Penny frowns at the man. "It's his first time, he's trying." She says. As the man turns to look at her with a raised eyebrow, she just huffs and turns back to the screen with a pout.

**Winter and Finch are eating cheeseburgers and fries, sitting in the car and on the curb, respectively. They are parked away from the other families, at the end of the gravel parking area. Jaune is pouring coolant into the radiator. Winter is deep in through, turning and turning the whole thing in her brain. Finch, unable to deal with her silence, goes around to where Jaune is working.**

**"Need any help?" Finch asked.**

**"No." Jaune said as they heard a noise and turn to sees two kids, a human and a Faunus, playing with machine-gun water pistols nearby, viciously squirting each other.**

**"You're dead!" First Kid.**

**"Am not!" Second Kid said.**

**"Are so!" First Kid said.**

**Finch and Jaune watch them rolling on the ground in a fight to the death. Winter rounds the front of the truck and sees the kids. Finch sighs, solemn.**

**"We're not gonna make it, are we?" Finch asked as he turns towards the cyborg. "People, I mean."**

**"It is in your nature to destroy yourselves." Jaune said.**

Most of the humans flinched at this, knowing deep down that they really were. After all, they had to fight against the Grimm for survival and yet Humanity still had a Great War and Revolution.

The Faunus were no better. Sure, Eve nodded in agreement, forgetting that she wasn't so different with her rhetoric of subjugating Humanity; but the others felt ashamed as they too had the same thoughts as the humans.

'Is violence really in our nature?' If they took a look at their history, they would be horrified by the answer it'd provide.

**Finch turns the kids and saw their mother break them up from fighting. "Yeah. Major drag, huh?" Earning a several dejected nods.**

**"I need to know how Skynet gets built. Who's responsible?" Winter asks Jaune.**

**"The man most directly responsible is Flynt Coal." Jaune answered as he closes the hood.**

**"Who is that?" Winter asked as they walked to the car.**

**"He's the Director of Special Projects at Cyberdyne Systems Corporation." Jaune said as they get into the car.**

**"Why him?"**

**"In a few months he creates a revolutionary type of microprocessor."**

**"Go on. Then what?"**

**They accelerate back onto the highway as Jaune speaks. "In three years, Cyberdyne will become the largest supplier of military computer systems. All stealth bombers are upgraded with Cyberdyne computers, becoming fully unmanned. Afterward, they fly with a perfect operational record. The Skynet funding bill is passed. The system goes on-line August 4th, 1997. Human and Faunus decisions are removed from strategic defense. Skynet begins to learn, at a geometric rate. It becomes self-aware at 2:14 a.m. eastern time, August 29. In a panic, they try to pull the plug."**

"And Skynet fights back." Penny says in shock, earning looks from Ruby and the other students. But she ignores it as she looks down at her trembling hands. 'Skynet attacked to defend its own existence.' She starts breathing heavily, 'Am I any different?'

Ruby and Velvet went over and hugged her to try and calm her down. After a few seconds, she started to breath normally and gave the two a small smile as thanks.

**"And Skynet fights back." Winter said in realization**

**"Yes. It launches its ICBMs against their targets in Vale." Jaune stated.**

Those from Vale gasped in horror.

**"Why attack Vale? Don't they have friends there?" Finch asked.**

**"Because Skynet knows that the Vale counter-strike will remove its enemies here." Jaune said.**

**"Monty Oum. How much do you know about Flynt?" Winter asked.**

**"I have detailed files." Jaune said.**

**"I want to know everything. What he looks like. Where he lives. Everything." Winter said.**

**Flynt Coal sits at the huge desk in his study. He is deep in thought, tapping away at the keyboard of his home computer terminal. Next to desk are racks of sophisticated gear. On a Sunday morning, when most men are relaxing, spending time with their families, Flynt is hard at work.**

**In a profile closeup, it shows him in deep concentration, his mind prowling the labyrinth of his new microprocessor.**

**A woman's face enters the frame soundlessly behind him. He doesn't hear her. His wife, Neon, extends her tongue and traces it down the back of his neck. He smiles and turns to kiss her good morning. She's still in her bathrobe, holding coffee. He's been up for hours. He turns and goes back to work, forgetting instantly that she is standing there. She watches him work, the arcane symbols moving across the screen. The audience sees her frustration, her inability to truly enter the magic box of his world.**

"Damn, that's cold." Mercury says, calmed down finally after his other's death.

The wives in the audience grumbled, feeling the woman's pain of being ignored as they glared at their husbands. Said husbands could only chuckle nervously and rub the back of their heads, or flinch back in fear as they broke out in a nervous sweat.

At first, Willow felt the same, but after thinking about it she shrugged. 'I'm actually glad Jacques ignored me all these years. Who knows what he could've done to me.' She shivered in disgust at the thought.

**"You going to work all day?" Neon asked.**

**"I'm sorry, baby. This thing is just kicking my ass. I thought we had it with this one..." Flynt said.**

**He points to a metal box on his desk, about two feet long. As assembly of small cubes. It looks like a dinosaur version of Jaune's CPU.**

**"Flynt, it's Sunday. You promised to take the kids to Raging Waters today." Neon said.**

**"Oh. I can't, honey. I'm on a roll here." Flynt said.**

The glares turned even more scary for their husbands.

**He takes her hands. A childlike excitement in his face. He wants so badly to share the almost orgasmic thrill of discovery, the satisfaction of creation.**

**"Baby, this thing is going to blow 'em all away. It's a neural-net process-" Flynt said but interrupted by his wife.**

**"I know. You told me. It's a neural-net processor. It thinks and learns like we do. It's superconducting at room temperature. Other computer are pocket calculators by comparison." Neo said by memory.**

Her tone of voice suggested that she didn't really care as much as her husband, which the other wives nodded in agreement. "There is no excuse for ignoring your wife." Nora says as she crosses her arms.

Kali nods, "Too true, young lady." She wasn't actually looking at the mad bomber, but at Ghira. Remembering all those lonely nights in bed while the dummy hurts himself by doing paperwork all alone. 'I can help too you know.'

Ghira wilted at the hard gaze, as did his fellow husbands. But he had it worse as Chibi-Blake looked at him with disappointment on her adorable face before getting up and giving her mom a hug.

Summer did the same, thinking of all those times Tai had to grade homework while she was forced to pleas- 'I mean sleep!' by herself.

Salem glared at a sweating Ozpin, both remembering how he was when they ruled their Kingdom. So many cold nights, so many wasted opportunities!

Frigga took it a step further and smacked Odin in the back of the head, thoughts of how he would go out on hunts and leave her alone at home.

Maria looked at Klein with raised eyebrow, only for him to shake his head. "My love, I could _never_ ignore a true beauty such as yourself." He takes her hand, and gently places a kiss on it, causing her to blush with a large smile on her face as he looks at her with a look of adoration. "It would be a terrible crime to slight you in such a manner." Maria felt like she was on cloud nine, and happily hugged a slightly surprised Klein as she lovingly kisses him.

Willow and the other Schnee's smiled, seeing Klein so happy with the other woman. 'He deserves to be happy.' They all thought.

The husbands tried to follow the butler's lead by buttering up to their wives, only for them to see through the attempt and turned their heads in a huff.

Those with crushes hoped that Jaune wouldn't ignore them… Some forgetting how he ignored Pyrrha for Weiss.

**"Well that's a good thing, I think. I mean, with the better than computers thing." Flynt said.**

**"But why is that so goddamn important, Flynt? I really need to know, because I feel like I'm going crazy here, sometimes." Neon said.**

**"I'm sorry, honey, it's just that I'm this~ close." Flynt said as he holds up his thumb and index finger... a fraction of an inch apart. She picks up the prototype. It doesn't look like much.**

**"Imagine a jetliner with a pilot that never makes a mistake, never gets tired, never shows up to work with a hangover." He taps the prototype. "Meet the pilot." Flynt said.**

James hummed in thought, 'That does sound nice. A pilot who never makes mistakes.' Though he also saw the dangers of how something like this could spiral out of control. 'Like how the future of this world turns out.'

**"…Why did you marry me, Flynt? Why did we have these two children? You don't need us. Your heart and your mind are in here." She stares at the metal box in her hands. "But it doesn't love you like we do." Neon said.**

The wives nodded in sympathy, while the husbands felt more like shit.

**He takes the anodized box from her hands and sets it down. Then he puts his hands on her shoulders and kisses her gently. She acquiesces to his kiss.**

**"I'm sorry."**

**Neon glances over his shoulder. She nods her head toward the doorway to the study. Flynt turns and sees their two kids standing there. Danny and Blythe, 6 and 4 respectively, look rumpled and adorable in their PJs. Flynt wilts at their hopeful expressions.**

**"How about spending some time with your other babies?" Neon asks with a smile.**

**Flynt grins. The forces of darkness have lost this round. He holds out his hands and his kids run to him, cheering.**

The mothers awed at how cute the children running towards their dad were. The fathers remembered how their own children did that when they were that age.

Ruby and the children blush in embarrassment as they still do that now.

**The desert northwest of Atlagerie. Burning under the sun like a hallucination. Heat shimmers the image, mirage-like. Jaune turns the pickup off the paved road and barrels along a roadbed a sand and gravel, trailing a huge plume of dust. A sign at the turnoff says: CHARON MESA=2 MI Atlagerie=15MI. Ahead is a pathetic oasis of humanity in the vast wasteland, a couple of aging house-trailers, surrounded by assorted junk vehicles and desert-style trash. There is a dirt airstrip behind the trailers, and a stripped Huey helicopter sitting on block nearby.**

**The truck rolls to a stop in a cloud of dust. The place looks deserted. The door to the nearest trailer bangs in the wind.**

"What a pile of shit." Neo and Yang commented as they wrinkled their noses in mild disgust.

**To Jaune and Finch, Winter said "Stay in the car."**

**A dark figure in the F.G. has an AK-47 trained on the pickup as Winter gets out. On Winter peering through the backlit dust. The sound of wind. She approaches the trailer.**

**In Vacuoan, "Taiyang? You here?" Winter asked, causing many to perk up in shock.**

**She hears KACHANK! behind her and spins, whipping out her .45 in one motion. Taiyang Xiao Long stands behind a rusting jeep, a 12-gauge pump trained on her. He is in his mid-forties, a tough Vacuo Man with a weathered face and heavy mustache. He wears cowboy boots and a flak vest, no shirt.**

**"You pretty jumpy, Schnee." Tai says, his fierce face breaks into a broad grin. The shotgun drops to his side as he walks toward her. When he reaches her, he hugs her, then steps back.**

**"Good to see you, Schnee. I knew you'd make it back here sooner or later." Tai said.**

Summer glares at Winter, and hugs Tai close to her chest as she hisses at her "_Back off._"

The woman was caught off guard by this, and raised her hands in surrender as she shakes her head.

**He grins at Finch as he steps from the car, and then see's Jaune getting out.**

**"Oye, Big Finch! Que pasa? Who's your very large friend?" Tai asked**

**"He's cool, Tai. He's... uh... this is my Uncle Jaune." (2) To Jaune, in English, "Uncle Jaune, this is Taiyang." Finch said.**

**Jaune smiles, Sort of.**

"Still needs work." Coco critiques as Qrow's eyebrow started to twitch. 'First he's a friends, now he's his uncle? What the hell?!'

Winter hums. "Well, it's a start." She too noticed how Finch addressed Jaune as, and while it was no doubt for privacy reasons, she hoped it was also for something more.

**Tai squints at him "Hmmm. Uncle Jaune, huh? Okay." Yelling, "Summer! Get out here, we got company. And bring some damn tequila!"**

**A thin Guatemalan Hawk Faunus, Franco, eighteen or so, comes out of the trailer with the AK-47, followed by Tai's wife, Summer. She has two young children with her, from a three-year-old Yang, to a year-and-half-old Ruby. She waves at Finch. They exchange some greetings, they seem like nice people.**

Summer squealed at her daughters' younger selves showing up, hugging her babies close as she gushed over how cute they are, much to their embarrassment as they tried to get her to cut it out and stop embarrassing them in front of their now laughing friends.

The other mothers smiled, remembering of times past, while Emerald, Sienna, Raven, Vernal, and Neo hugged their children close as Glynda felt like hugging Alice again.

Speaking of which, Robin and Altani gaped at the sight of the blond girl, seeing the similarities between herself/sister and the younger child. 'She looks like a younger me/Robin, but with blond hair and violet eyes!' It was like they were seeing what Robin would've been if she took more after their dad. They looked at the squirming Yang with suspicion. 'Why does she look so much like me/her?' Robin knew that she needed to figure this shit out, and so resolved to talk to her mom soon.

Penny meanwhile sighed, wondering what her life would've been like if she was born a regular girl. 'Would I be as cute as Ruby at that age?' (3)

**Jaune looks down at Finch, next to him. He said quietly, "Uncle Jaune?"**

**Finch shrugged.**

**"So, Winterlita, you getting famous, you know that? All over the goddamn TV." Taiyang said.**

**Tai rips the cap off the tequila bottle. The One-and-a-Half-year-old toddler goes to Jaune and grabs his pants, sliming them with drool. Jaune looks down at the tiny kid, fascinated. What is it?**

"That's my little angel!" Summer shouts with pride, earning a blush and whine of "Mom" from Ruby.

**He picks up the child with one huge hand. Looks at it. Turns it different ways. Studying it. Then sets it down. Ruby waddles off, a little dizzy.**

Yang, even from the hug, managed to laugh and coo with her friends at how cute baby Ruby is, much to said girl's mortification.

**"I just came for my stuff. And I need clothes, food, and one of your trucks." Winter said.**

**Grinning, Tai asked "Hey, how about the fillings out of my fucking teeth while you're at it?"**

Qrow and Tai snickered at his joke.

**"Now, Tai." Turns to Jaune and Finch, "You two are on weapons detail." Winter said.**

**Jaune, who is holding one end of a piece of heavy chain which disappears into the sand, pulls and reveals a six-by-eight-foot sheet of steel plate moves slowly under six inches of sand. Jaune drags it far enough to reveal... a rectangular hole in the ground. Like the mouth of a tomb.**

"Ooh," Nora says with wonder in her eyes, "what kind of treasure do you think is under there Renny?"

Ren shrugs, "Most likely weapons, Nora." He says, causing her to squeal out "That's the _best_ treasure there is!"

**"One thing about my mom... she always plans ahead." Finch said.**

**From inside the "tomb". Sunlight slashes down into a cinder-block room, less than six feet wide but over twenty longs. Sand spills down the steps. The walls are lined with guns.**

Ruby, finally escaping her mom's crushing hug, looked at the weapons on the walls and drooled. "So many guns." She blushed when Yang grinned at her.

**Finch precedes Jaune into Winter's weapons cache. Rifles, pistols, rocket launchers, mortars, RPGs, radio gear. At the far end, boxes containing ammo, grenades, etc. are stacked to the ceiling (Ruby: "Oh, **_**yeah**_**."). Jaune gets real alert. Scanning, wondering where to begin. He picks up a MAC-10 machine pistol. Racks the bolt.**

**"Excellent." Jaune said.**

**"Yeah, I thought you'd like this place." Finch said with a smirk.**

**Winter emerges from a trailer. She has changed. Boots, black fatigue pants, T-shirt. Shades. She looks hard. Tai is nearby, packing food and other survival equipment with Yolanda. He looks up as Winter approaches, and slaps the side of a big four-by bronco next to him.**

**"This is the best truck, but the water pump is blown. You got the time to change it out?" Tai asked.**

**"Yeah. I'm gonna wait till dark to cross the border." She pulls him away from summer, "Tai, it's dangerous for you here. You get out tonight, too, okay?"**

**"Yeah, Sure." He grins, "Just drop by any time and totally fuck up my life." Tai said.**

**She slaps him on the shoulder.**

Tai grins, memories of all the good times he had as part of team STRQ, all the times they screwed with each other. 'Ah, those were the days.' Summer and Qrow grinned, even Raven smiled, as they remembered the same as him.

**Jaune returns from carrying out several cases of ammo. Finch is selecting rifles from a long rack.**

**"See, I grew up in places like this, so I just thought it was how people lived... riding around in helicopters. Learning how to blow shit up." (Nora: "That sounds awesome!") Finch grabs an AK-47 and racks the bolt with a practiced action. Inspects the receiver for wear. Doesn't like what he sees, and puts it back. His movement are efficient. Professional. Uninterested.**

The Schnee's and James smiled in pride at his efficiency.

**"Then, when Mom got busted, I got put in a regular school. The other kids were, like, into Nintendo." Finch said in a mocking tone.**

"Boooo!" Nora and Ruby shouts. Sure, games are great and all, but they're too boring compared to the life Finch had.

**Jaune has found a Mistrilian-era "blooper" M-79 grenade launcher. A very crude but effective weapon. He opens the breech and inspects the bore (Nora: "Grenade buddies!").**

**"Are you ever afraid?" Finch asked.**

**Jaune pauses for a second. The thought never occurred to him. He searches in his mind for the answer...**

**"No."**

**Jaune slings the M-79 and starts looking for the grenades.**

**"Not even of dying?" Finch asked.**

**"No."**

**"You don't feel any emotion about it one way or the other?" Finch asks with an eyebrow raised**

**"No. I have to stay functional until my mission is complete. Then it doesn't matter."**

Jaune's friends and family flinch at his uncaringness for living past his mission.

Penny sighed again, thoughts of what her life may be like if her mission was ever completed. 'I mean, there's already a future where the Grimm are defeated. Even if my other robotic self managed to survive in that timeline, unlikely , then what would be the point of my continued existence?'

**Finch is idly spinning a Sig Saur 9mm pistol on his finger... backwards and forwards like Bat Masteron. "Yeah. I have to stay functional too." Then in a sing-song tone, "I'm too important."**

**Jaune pulls back a canvas tarp, revealing a squat, heavy weapon with six barrels clustered in a blunt cylinder. Chain-ammo is fed from a canister sitting next to it. A G.E. MINI-GUN. The most fearsome anti-personnel weapon of the Vietnam era.**

**Jaune hefts it. Looks at Finch as if to say "Can I? Please?"**

**"It's definitely you." Finch said with a smile.**

"Aww~, his first minigun." Coco coos at Jaune's look, grinning at how _right_ he looked at hefting that thing. Velvet sighs at her friend's behavior, but couldn't deny that this Jaune looked good with that weapon.

Nora pouted, hoping that Jaune would've picked up that grenade launcher she saw laying nearby, while Pyrrha giggled and Ren smiled. 'Traitors! The Queen of the castle shall have her vengeance!'

**Winter and Finch have their weapons and supply selections laid out on two battered picnic tables for cleaning and packing. Maps, radios, documents, explosives, detonators... just the basics. Winter is field- stripping and cleaning guns, very methodical. There is no wasted motion. Not far away, Finch and Jaune are working on the Bronco. They're greasy up to their elbows, lying on their backs under the engine compartment, ratcheting bolts into places on the new water pump.**

**"Most of the guys my mom was around were geeks, but there was this one guy that was kinda cool. He taught me engines." Finch tells Jaune as he helps fix the truck.**

Winter sighed in relief, knowing that her other moved on from Qrow.

Qrow meanwhile couldn't fault the woman for moving on. 'It was probably years since my other's death anyway.'

**"Hold this a second." Jaune indicates.**

**"Mom screwed it up, of course. Sooner or later she'd always tell them about Judgment Day and me being this world leader and that's be all she wrote." Finch said.**

**Finch thinks he's being causal, but his longing for some kind of parental connection is obvious.**

Qrow flinched, his kid's longing for a father digging deep inside his conscious.

Winter placed a hand over her heart in sadness. 'Don't worry sweetie, I'm sure that a _certain_ _someone_ will come along eventually.'

**"Torque wrench please." Jaune requested.**

**"Here. I wish I could have met my real dad." Finch said.**

**"You will." Jaune said.**

**"Yeah. I guess so. My mom says when I'm like, 45 I think, I send him back through time to 1984. But right now, he hasn't even been born yet. Man, time is messes with your head." Finch said.**

**"Where's that other bolt?" Jaune asked.**

**Finch hands it to him.**

**"Mom and him were only together for one night, but she still loves him, I guess. I see her crying sometimes. She denies it totally, of course. Like she says she got something in her eye." Finch said.**

"Aww, you do miss me!" Qrow says to a glaring Winter with a smug grin. His friends shake their heads, knowing what would come next.

Winter growls out "I am going to kick you _extra_ hard if you don't shut your mouth!"

Qrow pales as he reflexively covers his boys with his hands as if to protect them from her wrath, causing Winter to smirk in victory.

**Jaune turn to Finch.**

**"Why do you cry?" Jaune asked.**

**"You mean people?" Finch asked.**

**"Yes." Jaune replied.**

**"I don't know. We just cry. You know. When it hurts." Finch said.**

**Jaune didn't get it as they crawl out from under the truck into the sunlight.**

**"Pain causes it?" Jaune asked.**

**"Uhh, no, it's different... It's when there's nothing wrong with you but you hurt anyway. You get it?" Finch asked.**

**"No."**

Penny nods, remembering when she first came online she asked her father why he was crying, if he was sad at her being alive. Adrian Polendina just shook his head and explained to her that the reason he was crying was because he was so happy that his daughter was alive. She was so overjoyed that day, that she shouted "Sensational" for the first time ever proceeded to hug her papa extra hard, almost crushing his spine as a result. She smiles at the memory, hoping that one day this Jaune would know joy one day.

**Jaune stuck his arm into the Bronco driver window and turns the ignition key and the engine catches with a roar.**

**"Alriight! My man!" Finch said.**

**"No problemo." Jaune said.**

**Finch grins and does a victorious thumbs up. Jaune imitates the gesture awkwardly. Finch laughs and begin to try and teach him how to high five.**

Winter smiled at the bonding the two were making. 'It's like watching two children becoming friends.'

**Winter, across the compound, pauses in her work to watch Finch and Jaune.**

**Winter's POV, no sound is heard of what Finch and Jaune are saying. It is a soundless pantomime as Finch is trying to show some other, gestures?, to the cyborg. Trying to get him to walk more casually. Finch walks, then Jaune tries it, then Finch gestures wildly, talking very fast... explaining the fundamental principles of cool. They try it again. Continued ad lib as we hear Winter voice.**

**"**_**Watching Finch with the machine, it was suddenly so clear. The Terminator, Jaune, would never stop, it would never leave him... it would always be there. And it would never hurt him, never shout at him or get drunk and hit him, or say it couldn't spend time with him because it was too busy. And it would die to protect him. Of all the would-be fathers who came and went over the years, this thing, this machine, was the only one who measured up. In an insane world, it was the sanest choice.**_**"**

Winter grinned. 'Finally, my other sees the truth!'

The other girls with crushes nodded along, knowing how their Jaune would always be there for them and their children. Alice, Altani, and Robin from those possible futures were proof enough that he would always love and protect his family.

**Winter clenches her jaw and goes grimly back to work... a strong woman made hard and cold by years of hard choices. She sits at the picnic table. A few hours have passed, and the weapons are cleaned, her work is done. She hasn't slept in twenty-four hours and she seems to have the weight of the whole world on her shoulder. She draws her knife from its belt sheath. Idly starts to carve something on the table top... the letter "N".**

**No far away, Finch and Jaune are packing the Bronco for the trip. On Winter, at the table as she looks up from her carving, thinking. She watches Taiyang's kids playing nearby... wrestling with a muddy Corgi dog and loving it (Ruby: "Zwei!"). She watches Summer walking her toddler by her hands. Backlit, stylized. She looks over at Finch loading guns and supplies.**

**Due to fatigue, Winter's head droops, and she closes her eyes.**

"I suppose with the day she's had, it would make sense for her to fall asleep." Ozpin observes as his friends and students nod in agreement. 'Especially since she didn't sleep the night before.'

**Small children playing. Different ones. It reveals a playground in a park. Very idyllic. A dream playground, crowded with laughing children playing on swings, slides, and a jungle gym. It could be the playground seen melted and frozen in the post-nuclear desolation of 2029. But here the grass is vibrant green and the sun is shining.**

**Winter, short-haired, looking drab and paramilitary, stands outside the playground. An outsider. Her fingers are hooked in a chain-link fence and she is staring through the fence at the young mothers playing with their kids. A grim-faced harbinger.**

**Some girls play skip-rope. Their sing-song weaves through the random burbling laughter of the kids. One of the young mothers walks her two-year-old son by the hands. She is wearing a pink waitress uniform. She turns to the audience, laughing. It is Winter. Beautiful. Radiant. Winter from another life, uncontaminated by the dark future. She glances at the strange woman beyond the fence.**

The heroes smiled at the scene, all the children playing in the park without a care in the world. A perfect picture-esc moment. When they saw the other Winter in the dream, they felt a bit uneasy for some reason, like something bad was going to happen.

**Grim-faced Winter presses against the fence. She starts shouting at them in slow motion. No sound comes from her mouth. She grabs the fence in frustration, shaking it. Screaming soundlessly. Waitress Winter's smile falls. Then returns as her little boy throws some sand at her. She laughs, turns away, as if the woman at the fence was a shadow, a trick of light.**

**The sky explodes. The children ignite like match heads. Winter is burning, screaming silently, everything silent and overexposed. The blast wave hits... devouring the cowering mothers and children. Winter's scream merges with the howl of the wind as the shockwave rips into her, blasting her apart and leaving her skeleton in her place...**

The children had their eyes covered when the explosion first hit so they didn't get to see what happened next.

The parents cried at the sight of the children being set on fire, their scared faces as they died breaking their hearts.

The students retched at the sight of Winter's body being blown up, leaving only her screaming skeleton behind.

Wiess and Willow fainted, while Whitley and Klein turned green.

Everyone else felt disturbed by what they just witnessed.

**Winter wakes up. All is quiet and normal. The children are still playing nearby. Less than fifteen minutes have gone by. Bathed in sweat, Winter sits hunched over the table. Every muscle is shaking. She is gasping. Winter struggles to breathe, running her hand through her hair which is soaked with sweat, she can escape from the hospital, but she can't escape from the madness which haunts her.**

**She looks down at the words she has carved on the table, amid the scrawled hearts and bird-droppings. "NO FATE." Something changes in her eyes. She slams her knife down in the table top, embedding it deeply in the words. She gets up suddenly and starts walking toward Jaune and Finch, striding across the compound with grim purpose. She carries a small nylon pack and a CAR-15 assault rifle. Her face is an impassive mask. She has become a Terminator.**

Winter gulped, wondering what her other was planning on doing, and why she felt terror gripping tight.

**Finch looks up from his work in time to see Winter throw the rifle behind the seat of their stolen pickup, jump in and start it. She slams it into gear. Tai walks up to Finch.**

**"She said you go south with him..." He points at Jaune, "... tonight, like you planned. She will meet you tomorrow in..." Tai says but Finch is moving, running after her.**

**"Mommm! Wait!" Finch shouted.**

**Moving with Winter as she leaves the compound. Finch is seen running after her, yelling. She can't hear his words. She looks in the rear- view mirror but doesn't slow down…**

**Finch and Jaune ponders the message carved into the top of the picnic table. Winter's knife is still embedded there.**

**"'No fate.' No fate but what we make. My father told her this... I mean I made him memorize it, up in the future, as a message to her -Never mind. Okay, the whole thing goes 'The future is not set. There is no fate but what we make for ourselves.'" Finch said.**

**"She intends to change the future somehow." Jaune said after a thought.**

**"I guess, yeah-" He snaps his fingers as it hits him, "Oh shit!" Finch said.**

**"Flynt." Jaune said.**

**"Yeah, gotta be! Flynt Coal! She's gonna blow him away!" Finch said.**

The heroes paled, now knowing what her plan is. Winter groans, knowing that while it's a practical decision to kill the man, it was also a heartless one. 'His wife, his children. Would my other live with herself if she murders a father and husband?' She shivered, remembering the look on her face. 'It's like she became one of _them_. A Terminator.'

**Finch motions to Jaune and breaks into a run.**

**"Come on. Let's go. LET'S GO!" Finch shouted.**

**Winter speeds through the darkening desert. Expressionless. In her dark glasses, she looks as pitiless as an insect. Tracking with the bronco, Jaune and Finch heads toward L.A.**

**"This is tactically dangerous." Jaune warns Finch.**

**"Drive faster." Finch said.**

**"The T-1000 has the same files that I do. It could anticipate this move and reacquire you at Flynt's house." Jaune reminds Finch.**

'He has a point.' A few of the more intelligent ones thought, but no one was dumb enough to voice them aloud.

**"I don't care. We've gotta stop her." Finch said.**

**"Killing Flynt might actually prevent the war." Jaune said.**

**"I don't care! Haven't you learned anything?! Haven't you figured out why you can't kill people?" Finch asked.**

**Jaune is still stumped and looks questionably at him.**

**"Look, maybe you don't care if you live or die. But everybody's not like that! Okay?! We have feelings. We hurt. We're afraid. You gotta learn this stuff, man, I'm not kidding. It's important." Finch said.**

The heroes nod in agreement, praying they would stop the mad woman in time.

**The house is high-tech and luxurious. Lots of glass. Flynt's study is lit bluish with the glow of his computer monitors (Roman: "Oh great, why not just paint a target on your back and wave your arms around?"). He is at the terminal, working. Where else? We see him clearly in a long shot from an embankment behind the house. A dark figure moves into the foreground. Focusing on the shadow, it reveals Winter as she turns into profile. She raises the CAR-15 rifle and begins screwing the long heavy cylinder of a sound-suppresser onto the end of the barrel.**

**Inside the house, Flynt's kids, Danny and Blythe, are playing in the halls with a radio- controlled off-road truck. Danny drives and Blythe scampers after it, trying to catch it. They stop in the hall outside Dyson's study and sees him working at his terminal. Danny puts a finger to his lips, shushing Blythe. His expression is mischievous.**

The parents gulp, hoping that if the woman takes the shot, that it would not alert the children at least. Neo, Emerald, and Sienna immediately covered their daughters' eyes, earning groans of disapproval.

Raven and Vernal turned their heads to Robin and Amber, only to receive defiant glares, as if daring them to do the same.

**With the silencer in place, Winter eases back the bolt and then slips it forward, chambering a .223 round. Then she lies down on the embankment. Her cheek pressed against the cool rifle-stock, she slides one hand slowly forward to brace the weapon, taking the weight on her elbow. Her other hand slips knowingly to the trigger. Her expression is cold, impassive. She looks through the scope at the man in the house. She feels nothing as she raises the rifle.**

**Flynt, in deep thought. The rhythmic sounds of keys as he works. Symbols on the screen shift. On his back we see the glowing red dot appear. It is the target dot of Flynt's laser designator. It moves silently up his back toward his head.**

"Oh no." Blake whispers, knowing that it was too late for the man to escape now. Everyone mentally preparing themselves for what they knew would come next.

**END**

**Yeah, a cliffhanger for you guys, aren't I a stinker? So I'll leave you guys with this, hope you all continue to like and fav, and I'll see you next time. Peace!**

**List of current Jaune's children in the Nexus:**

**Neo: Lucy**

**Emerald: Peridot & Garnet**

**Vernal: Amber**

**Raven: Robin**

**Sienna: Altani**

**Glynda: Alice**

**1\. The conversation from "Painting the Town" where Penny says she's not a real girl, and Ruby argues that she is.**

**2\. Someone suggested to me that instead of Bob, Finch should stick with Jaune. And it makes sense, no one knows Jaune, so why would he use a different name? Besides, it would've felt weird to call him in a different name for the audience.**

**3\. ****Technically, she **_**is**_** that age, and she's plenty cute in my opinion.**


	27. Judgement Day Pt 5

**Chapter 26: "Judgement Day" Pt. 5**

**Woo, new chapter people! And BOY, were my calculations wrong. We are still close to the end but not close enough. But hey, at least we're all having fun, right? Right! I also have some news that I didn't notice before: we're close to 1,500 for favs & followers, over 900,000 views, and I'm in 9 communities now, which is awesome :D Never thought this story would be so popular, you guys are the best. Now then, reviews HO!**

**Lord Dominusautem Tempus****: I'm glad you picked up on that. Yeah, this was my original intention for Penny. And it was gonna be even more devastating for her since in the original script, she wasn't human yet. Can you imagine the identity crisis she would have after seeing her future self exterminating Humanity and Faunus kind? Oh man, the heart clenching sorrow she would express. So many would try to comfort her, but to no avail as she would not feel like they were safe around her. That in turn would've had Jack make her human so that the chances of her becoming Skynet would be nonexistent. Since she's human ahead of schedule, I had to switch it up a bit, then the crash happened… Her reactions now are my way of keeping a small bit of my possible future alive.**

**Henry Townshend1****: Here you go XD**

**sniperbro1998****: I've never watched Halloween. Or really any of those old horror movies (the only one that I did see was Freddy VS Jason, but I'm not sure it counts). Didn't even know they made a new one. Seriously, 2018? Had to Google that one to make sure you guys weren't pulling my chain. Imagine my surprise when I found out. I don't think I'll be doing this movie though, sorry, but I just don't know how to make reactions for movies I myself didn't even know existed. My parents didn't what to traumatize my brother and I, so we never watched those old slasher movies when we were younger (born in the 90's); and my friends and I never cared enough to watch them when we were old enough to do so (too busy with sci-fi stuff). If I tried to do the movie I'd be going in completely blind, and the reactions won't be as good as compared to those I've got at least some inkling to.**

**BagusJoy****: Because I need something to progress the story after Jaune's past is done and the Brother Gods are defeated; and Stargate is one of the shows I'm actually pretty knowledgeable about. There are only a few episodes I haven't watched yet, both in SG1 and Atlantis, and those aren't really plot relevant anyway so who cares? Plus, there is a lot of potential for me to create new scenarios. Actually, I'm already in the process of making two scenarios that have Stargate elements in them. I **_**love**_** Stargate, and this is a way for me to still have new material so that my story doesn't get boring.**

**Argus456****: Oh man, now I can't stop thinking of Chibi-Penny drinking motor oil from a baby bottle! Glad you liked how Klein maneuvered around that clusterfuck. I had the same thoughts. Jacques is the perfect how-to manual for NOT being a good husband/father, or a cheat sheet XD**

**Dragongod54****: Wanted to do that one, first crash deleted it. Though I think I'll try again, the movie is just too funny not to at least try again!**

**Kasix-K****: Thank you, I'm glad you gave my story another chance. I'll admit, my writing style wasn't the best when I started out, but that's to be expected as this is my first story. But as I got used to writing, my work started to show improvement. And I'm happy that my story isn't boring, that's one of my fears when writing this as I know that reaction fics are getting pretty common nowadays and having new material can be tricky to do. Hope my work continues to be interesting for you :)**

**Guest****: Actually, I'm already working on 300, but it's slow-going as I'm working on something else first that's gonna be a sort of prequel, and I want to make sure that I'm not reprising the same people for different roles.**

**X3runner****: iRobot is already on my new list, it's just gonna be posted later as I still have my own schedule to do. Not to mention that I only got a few of the characters done so far (but that's fine, I got time anyway to think of that later).**

**KAPfan9876****: "Just Monika" scared the crap out of me. I love it, and funny enough I asked ****God Emperor Penguin**** if I could react "Ruby's Addicted to Kisses". Which they agreed to, but I didn't have the time to with the crashes going on. "Just Monika" reminded me of the story, so I'll have them back-to-back.**

**sammykordy10****: Tried to do "Day of the Doctor", deleted by the crash :(**

**Man, so many of you still like my story, this is so awesome!**

**Disclaimer in the prologue.**

**In extreme closeup, we see Winter's eye at the night-scope. Tight insert on her finger as it tightens on the trigger, taking out the slack. She takes a deep breath and holds it. Adjusts her position minutely. The laser dot jiggles on the back of Dyson's neck and then rises, centering on the back of his skull.**

All the heroes and thieves gave a silent prayer to the poor man and his family.

**Danny's Bigfoot truck roars toward us and… Thump. It hits Flynt's foot. He jerks, startled, and looks down as - POP! His monitor screen is blown out, spraying his with glass.**

"Holy shit!" Yang and Coco shouts in shock, not expecting a toy car saving him from having his brain smeared all over his computer. The others sighed in relief, at least for now he's alive.

**He jerks back, utterly shocked... and spins to see the huge hole blown through the window behind him. This saves him as K-THUMP! - the second shot blows the top of his high-backed chair into an explosion of stuffing an inch from his head (Roman: "Guy's the luckiest SOB on the planet!"). Instinctively he dives to the carpet as -BLAM BLAM BLAM - rounds blast through the window, tearing into his desk and computer, blowing his keyboard into shrapnel. With the monitor screen blown out, the room is in darkness. Winter can't see Flynt now, down behind his desk. She puts round after round into the heavy desk, blasting one side of it into kindling. Flynt, scared out of his mind, has his face jammed against the carpet, terrified to move. He sees his kids in the hall.**

**"Run, kids! Go! Run!" Flynt yelled.**

In all the commotion, the new mothers unblocked their children's view.

Roman felt that this guy was _very_ lucky to have the paramilitary miss him thus far.

And through it all, Winter felt conflicted. On the one hand, she was glad that her other hadn't killed Flynt yet. On the other… 'You missed! How could you miss, he was 20 feet in front of you!' Yeah, her pride as a soldier apparently didn't like how her other's military training failed her.

**In the hall, Neon rounds the corner at a dead run. She sees the kids running toward her and grabs them in her arms. Down the hall, in the dark study, she sees Flynt on the floor amid the splinters and shrapnel of the continuing fusillade.**

**"Flynt! Oh my God!" Neon yelled.**

**"Stay back!" Flynt shouted.**

**On the floor, Flynt flinches as chucks of wood and shattered computer components shower down on him. He looks desperately toward the door, but knows he'd be totally exposed. He'd never make it.**

**Winter's rifle empties with a final CLACK! She throws it down and draws her .45 smoothly from a shoulder base. She starts toward the house, snapping back the slide on the pistol, chambering a round. She is in a fast, purposeful walk, keeping her eyes fixed on the target. She is utterly determined to kill this man.**

Winter's family shivered at the look in her eyes.

**From under the desk Flynt can see a sliver in the backyard. He sees Winter's feet as she strides toward him. He tenses to make a break for the door.**

**Winter raises the pistol, eyes riveted ahead, controlling her breathing. Flynt springs up in a full-tilt sprint. She tracks him. He hooks a foot on the cord of a toppled disk drive. BOOM! Her shot blows apart a lamp where his head was. He hits the floor hard, but keeps moving, scrambling forward. Crunch of glass behind his as Winter's dark form is framed in the blown-out floor-to-ceiling window. Flynt leaps toward the hall. BOOM! Her second shot spins him. He hits the floor in the hallway. Neon is screaming. Flynt struggles forward, stunned. There is a .45-caliber hole clean through his left shoulder. He smears the wall with blood as he staggers up. Looking back, he sees the implacable figure behind him, coming on. He topples through a doorway as - BOOM! BOOM! Shots blowing away the molding where he just was.**

The heroes look on in horror at the shot to the man's shoulder, knowing that the chase was over, and Winter would end it soon.

**Advancing with Winter we enter the living area. Neon has Blythe and she's screaming at Danny, who has run back to his collapsed father.**

**"Danny! DANNY!" Neon yelled to her son.**

**"Daaaaddddyyyy!" Danny cry out.**

**Danny is pulling at Flynt, crying and screaming, as his father tries to stagger forward. Neon drops Blythe and runs back for Flynt, grabbing him. Winter looms behind them with the pistol aimed.**

The parents felt their hearts clench at the sight, holding their children close. Winter was in tears, wanting her other to stop before she does any more harm to this family.

**"Don't fucking move! Don't FUCKING MOVE!" She swings the gun on Neon, "Get on the floor, bitch! Now! Fucking down! NOW!" Winter ordered.**

**Winter is crazy eyed now, shaking with the intensity of the moment. The kill has gone bad, with screaming kids and the wife involved... things she never figured on. Neon drops to the knees, terrified as she looks into the muzzle of the gun. Blythe runs to Flynt and hugs him, wailing.**

**"Don't hurt my father!" Blythe begged.**

The mothers silently cried as they imagined their babies in the little one's place. Their hearts shattered at the imagery their minds created for them.

For Salem and Ozpin, it was like watching their little Oma from that other timeline all over again (1). The memory nearly brought them to tears.

**"Shut up, kid! Get out of the way!" Winter shouted.**

**Flynt looks up, through his pain and incomprehension. Why is this nightmare happening? The black gun muzzle is a foot from his face.**

**"Please... let... the kids... go..." Flynt said while gasping.**

**"Shut up! SHUT UP! Motherfucker! It's all your fault! IT'S YOUR FAULT!" Winter yelled in anger.**

**Flynt, confused to what she's talking about, says "What?"**

Winter was feeling sick to her stomach. Not only was she about to witness her other murder an innocent man, but seeing her other devolving into crazy rants as she did so, made her feel that her other had gone completely insane. 'My other really _did_ deserve to be committed.' The look in the other woman's eye certainly didn't help.

Roman meanwhile winced. "Man, can't help but feel sorry for the guy. He's going to be killed, in front of his family no less, and he won't know why other than some crazy lady who shot up the place shouting 'It's all your fault'." Neo nodded, trying to wipe her tears away as she holds a tearful Lucy.

**She's psyching herself up to pull the trigger... needing now to hate this man she doesn't know. It's a lot harder face-to-face. She is bathed in sweat, and it runs into her eyes. Blinking, she wipes it fast with one hand, then gets it back on the gun. The .45 is trembling.**

**Tight on Winter as the forces at war behind her eyes. She looks into the faces of Flynt, Neon, Blythe, and Danny. Winter takes a sharp breath and all the muscles in her arms contract as she tenses to fire. But her finger won't do it. She lowers the gun very slowly. It drops to her side in one hand. All the breath and her energy seem to leave her. She weakly raises her other hand in a strange gesture, like "Stay where you are, don't move". As if, should they move, the fragile balance might tip back the other way. She backs away from them slowly, panting. It's as if she's backing away in terror from what she almost did. She reaches a wall and slumps against it. Slides down to her knees. The gun falls limply from her fingers. She rests her cheek against the wall.**

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

The heroes relaxed as they know that they won't see an innocent die in front of them, while the villains let go of the tension that was building up.

No one was more relieved though than Winter. As she saw her other lower the gun, she felt like she could cry. 'My other isn't insane!' When the gun fell to the ground, she thanked the gods for her other snapping out of it.

**Jaune and Finch leap from the jeep, sprinting toward the house. Finch, seeing the destruction, simply said "Shit, we're too late!"**

Many of the people deadpanned at that. "No shit kid." Mercury said after facepalming.

**The front door is kicked in. Jaune steps inside. Finch grabs his sleeve and pushes past him. He scopes out the situation in two seconds... Winter, the gun, the sobbing family. Finch moves to Winter while Jaune checks Flynt. Finch kneels in front of his mother. She raises her head to look at him. He sees the tears spilling down her cheeks.**

**"Mom? You okay?" Finch asked.**

**"I couldn't... oh, Oum." Winter said.**

**"Uh huh." Finch agreed.**

**She reaches out and takes his shoulder suddenly, surprising him... drawing him to her. She hugs him and a great sob wells up deep inside her, from a spring she had thought long dry. She hugs him fiercely as the sobs wrack her. Finch clutches her shoulders. It is all he ever wanted.**

**"It's okay. It'll by okay. We'll figure it out." Finch said.**

**"You... came here... to stop me?" Winter asked.**

**"Yeah." Finch replied.**

**Winter, with tears in her eyes, said to him "I love you, Finch. I always have."**

**"I know, Mom. Me too." Finch said.**

The mothers "Awed" at that, grabbing their children in another hug at the cute scene, needing it after the turmoil they witnessed a few seconds ago.

This time, the children just accepted it, needing the embrace just as much as their moms did.

**Neon looks around at the bizarre tableau. Jaune has wordlessly ripped open Flynt's shirt and examined the wound.**

**"Clean penetration. No shattered bone. Compression should control the loss of blood." Jaune says as he takes Neon's hands and presses them firmly over the entrance and exit wounds.**

Roman grumbled. "Again, luckiest SOB on the planet. Bullet should've dealt a _lot_ more damage when exiting his body just by the caliber the crazy woman was firing."

Neo shrugged, "I'm just surprised that the bullet didn't hit bone." (2)

Ruby didn't want to, she _really_ didn't, but she had to agree with the two criminals. 'Even if she wasn't using a Dust round, the fact that the impact sent his body spinning towards the ground is proof that the force is still considerate, and _that_ alone should've done more internal damage to the body than what Jaune mentioned.'

**Finch disengages from Winter. She wipes her tears, the instinct to toughen up taking over again. But the healing moment has had its effect, nevertheless.**

**Finch walks toward Flynt and Jaune.**

**"Who are you people?" Flynt asked in pain.**

**Finch draws the Biker's knife from Jaune's boot and hands it to him.**

**"Show him." Finch said.**

**Jaune grab the knife and takes off his jacket to reveal bare arms, causing a few to drool. Finch takes Blythe by the hands and leads her down the hall, away from what is about to happen.**

**Tight on Jaune's left forearm as the knife makes a deep cut just below the elbow as Neon whimpers at the clearly crazy man cutting himself. In one smooth motion, Jaune cuts all the way around his arm. With a second cut, he splits the skin of the forearm from elbow to wrist.**

"What the fuck are you doing you idiot?!" Saphron shouts as she sees her robot brother mutilate himself.

The children were not taking the sight well. Most covered their eyes, trying to forget what they just saw.

The heroes, and a few villains, felt sick at the sight. His nonchalant face as he does it didn't help.

Penny ran over and grabbed Qrow's flask, much to his complaining, and began to chug the whole thing, before throwing it back up on his lap. "What the shit?!"

Ruby ran over and pulled her friend away from her now smelly and pissed off uncle, "Penny, stop!"

Winter was next to her, trying to pry the flask from the girl's grip, "You don't know how to drink, young lady!"

"I can freaking try!" Penny shouts, in tears, as she kept the two from taking the flask back. She knows what Jaune is planning to do, and her mind couldn't help but replace him with herself again. This universe is just torture for her, and right now all she wants to do is forget; and from the research she's done in the past, she knows that alcohol can offer a solution if consumed quickly enough and in large amounts. She took another swig, much to the other two's protest.

**Jaune grasps the skin and strips is off his forearm like a surgeon rips off a rubber glove. It comes off with a sucking rip, leaving a bloody skeleton. But the skeleton is made of bright metal, and is laced with hydraulic actuators. The fingers are as finely crafted as watch parts... they flex into a fist and extend.**

A few people threw up with looks of horror on everyone's faces. They knew that he was a machine, but knowing and seeing are two separate things. Up to this point, no one really knew what he looked like underneath the skin. After that, they felt they could've happily lived their whole lives not knowing.

The _moving_ metal skeletal hand and arm underneath with the blood coating the thing just added to the gruesome sight.

Penny used the distraction to peel away from her friend and Winter and ran over to her seat to drink 'till she either forgets what she just saw, or is blackout drunk and would be spared from anymore horrors.

**Jaune holds it up, palm out, in almost the exact position of the one in the vault at Cyberdyne. Flynt begins reacting to the servo-hand in front of him. He's seen one of these before. Neon is screaming now, but he doesn't hear her.**

**"My God." Flynt said.**

**"Listen to me very carefully." Jaune said.**

After that, Jack paused the viewing so that everyone can calm down after that new display of unholy terror and for the droid to clean up the mess and air out the place so that the smell wouldn't linger.

**Winter puts out her fifth cigarette. She's sitting on the counter. Finch, Jaune, Flynt, and Neon are at the kitchen table, under a single overhead light. Flynt looks like that guy on the Sistine Chapel wall, the damned soul... eyes fixed and staring with terrifying knowledge. His shoulder is bandaged. Jaune's arm is wrapped with a blood-soaked bandage below the elbow. The steel forearm and hand gleam in the harsh kitchen light. The screen tracks around the table as Jaune speaks... no words are heard. Instead, Winter's voice could be heard over the conversation.**

"_**Flynt listened while the Terminator laid it all down. Skynet. Judgment Day... the history of things to come. It's not every day you find out you're responsible for 3 billion deaths. He took it pretty well."**_

"I doubt that." Cinder says as she settled her stomach with some ginger tea. While she wasn't one of those who threw up, she was damn well close. 'Incinerating someone is one thing, flaying them alive is another.'

She felt bad for Emerald and her children that she gave them each a cup as well, earning a "Thank you ma'am" from the thief, and a quiet "Thank you Auntie Cindy" from the children. The last one melted her heart for some reason.

*Sigh* 'I want a child too. Preferably a daughter to instill all my knowledge to, and to have her become a Maiden like me.' The thought of having a mini her instilling fear onto the world as they rule with an iron fist, with Jaune as King and her as Queen, the thought brought a tear to her eye.

**Jaune finishes speaking.**

**"I feel like I'm gonna throw up." Flynt said. (Cinder: "Called it.")**

**He looks around at them, clutching the table like he's about to blow away. His face, his posture, his ragged voice express soul-wrenching terror. This is a man ripped out of normal life into their grim world. His voice is pleading.**

**"You're judging me on things I haven't even done yet. Monty Oum. How were we supposed to know?" Flynt asked.**

**Winter speaks from the shadows behind them. Flynt turns to find her looking right at him.**

**"Yeah. Right. How were you supposed to know? Fucking men like you built the Hydrogen Bomb. You think you're so creative. You don't know what it's like to really create something... to create a life. To feel it growing inside you. All you know how to create is death and destruction." Winter says in a haunting voice.**

"Umm, what's a Hydrogen Bomb?" Ruby asks Jack. Right now, she's sitting next to Penny as the distraught girl rested her head on her lap, slurring a bit as the alcohol starts to take effect.

"It's an immensely powerful bomb whose destructive power comes from the rapid release of energy during the nuclear fusion of isotopes of hydrogen, using an Atom Bomb as a trigger. It's one of the more powerful weapons Humanity has created." Jack says, sighing a bit at the end.

Saphron perked up when he mentioned an atom bomb, but only Jack noticed. Everyone else was just confused by the jargon, with many afraid of the weapon's power.

**"Mom… we need to be more constructive here. We still have to stop this from happening, don't we?" Finch asked.**

**"But I thought... aren't we changing things? I mean... right now? Changing the way, it goes?" Neon asked, confused.**

**Flynt, seizing on that, said "That's right! There's no way I'm going to finish the new processor now. Forget it. I'm out of it. I'm quitting Cyberdyne tomorrow."**

Winter shakes her head, "That's not enough to change the future."

**"That's not good enough." Winter said coldly.**

**"No one must follow your work." Jaune explained.**

**Flynt, thoughts racing, nods. "Alright, yeah. You're right. We have to destroy the stuff at the lab, the files, disk drive... and everything I have here. Everything. I don't care." He has a sudden thought. "The chip. Do you know about the chip?"**

**"What chip?" Winter asks somewhat worried.**

**"They have it in a vault at Cyberdyne." He turns to Jaune. "It's gotta be from the other one like you." Flynt said.**

**"The CPU from the first Terminator." Jaune said to Winter.**

"Wait," Weiss says, "you mean what we saw earlier, what the stuff inside that glass casing, _that_ was a CPU?!"

Ruby was just glad that Penny was too incoherent to hear what her partner said. She'd probably lose her mind again. She glanced at the drunk girl, feeling sorry that her friend is being subjected to this mess. 'She's not ready to handle this.' She looks around, 'I don't think any of us are.'

**"Son of a bitch, I knew it!" Winter said as she get off the counter.**

**"They told us not to ask where they got it." Flynt said.**

**"Those lying motherfuckers!" Winter cursed.**

Weiss and Whitley sputtered at their sister cursing, even if it was a different version, while Qrow laughed.

Winter blushed at her other's swearing as Willow looks disapprovingly at her daughter, causing her to try and explain that it wasn't her.

**"It was scary stuff, radically advanced. It was shattered... didn't work. But it gave us ideas, It took us in new directions... things we would never have thought of. All this work is based on it." Flynt said.**

**"It must be destroyed." Jaune said.**

**"Can you get us in there, past security?" Winter asked Flynt.**

**"I think so, yeah. When?" Flynt asked as Jaune stand up.**

**Flynt looks at him, then at Winter, then Finch. He sees his answer.**

**"Now?" Flynt asked.**

**Pavement rushing at the screen, lit by headlights. Beyond, darkness. Winter's voice is heard once more.**

"_**The future, always so clear to me, has become like a black highway at night. We were in uncharted territory now... making up history as we went along."**_

"Ominous." Blake says with a shiver.

**It changes to a door in front of Cyberdyne, as Flynt's hand zips his security card through a slot in one motion. There is the sound of a servo-lock, and Flynt enters into a spacious lobby, followed by Winter, Finch, and Jaune last of all. In a frontal angle, the others block Jaune from view. The guard at the front desk, Gibbons, looks up as Flynt moves toward him. Flynt is pale and sweaty, but smiles warmly at the guard, speaking well before he reaches the desk.**

Many wondered how they were going to explain Finch being with the group.

Glynda hums. "How will they explain young Finch's presence there? Mr. Coal works there, and Winter and Jaune he could explain as added security he hired after an assassination attempt on his life. He has the wound to show for it after all, flimsy an excuse that may be."

Ozpin nods, "True. And even if they went with a different cover story, it would still be somewhat believable. But Finch is a child, and it is night. He would have no reason for being there, and would have many questioning his being there."

The students gulped, hoping that no one stops to question the group just why they brought a child into a secure scientific facility in the dead of night.

**"Evening uhm Carl, right? These are friends of mine from out of town, I just thought I'd take them up and show them around." Flynt said.**

**"I'm sorry, Mr. Coal. You know the rules about visitors in the lab. I need written authoriz-" Gibbons said but the interrupted.**

**K-CHAK! Gibbons is staring down the barrels of Winter's .45 and Jaune's MAC-10.**

**"I insist." Jaune said.**

"Right. Terminator." Glynda deadpans. 'Honestly, why did I expect any different?'

Yang muttered "Badass." With Nora and Coco nodding.

**The guard is too stunned to move. We see that Jaune is wearing his jacket and black gloves. Gibbon's eyes go to the silent alarm button on the console.**

**"Don't even think about it." Winter said.**

**Gibbons nods. He stays frozen. Jaune circles quickly and gets the guard out of the chair. Finch pulls a roll of duct-tape from his knapsack and tears off a piece.**

**Elevator doors open, and Jaune leads the group warily into the corridor. They have a cart piled high with gear in nylon bags. Flynt motions down the corridor to the right. As they walk, he continues to fill them in…**

**"The vault needs two keys to open. Mine," holds up a key, "and one from the security station. It's in a locker but my card should access it. Here we go." Flynt said.**

James facepalmed at the ridiculousness of the man's solution. "Why is a _scientist's_ key sufficient enough to open a locker from a _security_ _station_?" It just didn't make any sense to him, really no one who came to the same conclusion could make sense of it either. "Security should have keys exclusively for their own use, same for scientists. That way, civilians won't be able to access locations such as the weapons arsenal."

Winter scoffed at the dumbasses in charge. "If by some miracle this plan _did_ work, then the facility's security measures are complete garbage."

The General groans, "It's a wonder how no one has stolen from them already."

**A roving guard, Moshier, strolls down the long corridor from the first-floor office block. A punch clock swings at his hip, and he's just completed his circuit of the building. He passes the back of elevators and rounds the corner to the front desk, calling out…**

**"Honey, I'm home." Moshier said.**

**He sees the desk is deserted and frowns. 'Figures Gibbon's must be in the can.' So he checks that first before getting alarmed.**

**He goes to the restroom around the corner. "Gibbons, come on man, you can't leave the desk like that."**

**Over his shoulder, past the door as he pushes it open, reveals Gibbons handcuffed to the urinal.**

"Pfffff-hahaha!" Roman and Neo laughed, along with Raven and Vernal, at the sight of the guard in that position.

**Moshier spins on a dime and sprints to the desk where he slams down on the silent alarm button.**

Ignoring the laughter, Weiss winced. "That is _so_ not good." Her friends and brother nodded, praying that the group would hurry faster.

**The security station is a pass-through area with a counter, behind which are desks and a bank of monitors, showing boring movies about empty corridors. Flynt crosses quickly to a locker behind the monitor area. He swished his card repeatedly through the scanner on the locker. Nothing happens. The light on the locker is blinking red. Winter notices Flynt's alarmed expression.**

**"What? WHAT IS IT?" Winter asked worried.**

**Flynt whips around, staring at a light flashing on the console behind him.**

**"Damn it, silent alarm's been tripped. It neutralizes the codes throughout the building. Nothing'll open now." Flynt said, much to the horror of many. The audience can see his nerve snapping "We should abort."**

**"NO! We're going all the way! You got that, Flynt?" Winter shouts right in his face. Somehow, it works for him. He nods, getting some resolve from somewhere.**

James smiled, memories of when he had made similar orders when training new recruits coming to him. Of when he was a rainbow himself (3). 'Ah, those were the days.'

**Moshier's gotten Gibbons loose. He's on the phone to the cops.**

**"... multiple armed subjects. Look, I think it's the guy from that mall shootout, and the woman... yeah, her. Pretty sure. Just send everything you've got in the area –" Gibbon's said.**

**Flynt leads Jaune and Winter to the main lab doors. Another servo-lock. He tries his card. Nothing.**

**"No good." Flynt said.**

**"Let me try mine." Jaune said.**

**He unslings the M-79, pulling it over his shoulder in one motion (Nora: "Ah yeah, the only way to open doors!"). Winter grabs Flynt and drags him back down the hall. Jaune opens the breach and slide in one of the fat 40mm H.E. grenades. He flips the thing closed with a snap of the wrist.**

**Winter, as she's running, yells "Finch! Fire-in-the-hole!"**

**Finch drops what he is doing, and covers his ears. Jaune fires at inhumanely close range. The door explodes into kindling. The concussion blows his jacket open, and flying shrapnel whizzes all around him. Before the thunderclap has faded, Jaune walks into the fire and smoke. Finch goes back to work without missing a beat. Winter and a stunned Flynt walk through the burning doorframe into the Artificial Intelligence Lab.**

Nora was cackling, her dad joining soon after. Ren and Frigga facepalmed at the same time. 'I just _know_ s/he will want to do that.' The two bemoaned over the property damage they'll have to cover.

Glynda rubbed her temple as a headache started to form, knowing that her student's laughter just meant more work for her. 'And damnit, Penny grabbed the only item filled with alcohol.' She didn't even need to look at Ozpin to know that he would be of no help here. 'As usual, the paperwork will go for me. Oum, I need a drink.'

**A siren is sounding. The halon fire-control system has been triggered. The invisible gas roars in, putting out the flames. (Winter: "Well, at least fire suppression is up to standards.")**

**Winter is about to continue forward but Flynt stops her. "Wait, Fire's set off the halo system! We have to wait a minute for the gas to clear."**

Ruby scratched Penny's head, trying to keep her calm as she asks "Wait, what's that mean? Why's the gas so dangerous?"

She, and the others looked t Jack for the answer as they never really heard of this system. Mostly relying on Ice or Water Dust canisters to help with fire suppression.

Jack shrugged. "I'm not entirely sure. Halon gases are low-toxicity, chemically stable compounds that leaves no residue and is remarkably safe for Human/Faunus exposure. It's actually some of the safest, clean extinguishing agents available on many universes. The stuff is actually a liquefied gas which, when discharged, leaves the nozzle in a stream that is about 85% liquid and 15% gas. Ranges of 9-15 feet. Its only real danger is its potential for damaging the o-zone layer, however a newer version of the gas has been made to be an environmentally acceptable replacement." (4)

Barely anyone understood what Jack said (Roman: "What the hell's an o-zone?"), but what they did get was that the gas was very effective, and safe, against fires.

James leaned over to Winter, "Specialist Schnee, make a note of this gas. This should help us limit our dependence on Dust fire suppression if we can replicate its effects." Winter nodded as she took down some notes on her scroll, knowing that if they succeeded then tons of Dust would be freed up for other uses.

Watts was already taking notes, as was Terra.

Oz tried to do the same by asking Glynda, but a glare from her stopped that. 'What'd I do this time?'

Salem looked at the two and couldn't help but feel a bit jealous.

**Jaune comes back and has two gas masks for them to use.**

**"Put these on." Jaune said.**

They looked at Jack again. He looked back, "What? It's still comprised of _chemicals_, and a child is with them. Better safe than sorry."

**Jaune pulls two five-gallon jerry-cans of gasoline from his pack. Winter starts pulling out book-sized, olive-grab claymore mines, stacking them next to the gasoline. Flynt stares. Part of him can't believe they're really doing this.**

**Cardin moves slowly though the ravaged office, analyzing what has happened here. (Emerald: "Oh great, the chromed asshole's back.")**

**It walks down the dark hallway. The place is deserted. The police-walkie clipped on its belt, real, not simulated, blares to life.**

_**"All units, all units. 211 in progress at 2144 Kramer Street, the Cyberdyne building. Multiple suspects armed with automatic weapons and explosives. First suspect: named Conner, nee Schnee, first name Winter, escaped yesterday."**_

**Cardin sprints up and throws its leg over the big C.H.P. Kawasaki. Fires it up. It smokes an arcing scorch-mark on the pavement as it spins around and roars away.**

The students groaned. "Oh come on!" Yang says as she dropped her face into her palms, "Why not just give him a missile while you're at it. Save him the trouble of going over there himself."

Roman sighed to himself. 'It's like the police are _actively_ working with the bad Terminator.'

**Tight on a large disk drive. State-of-the-art. Very expensive (Nora: "Ooh, pretty."). A fire axe smashes down through the housing, shattering the disk (Nora: "Booop!"). The screen widens, revealing a scene of high-tech pillage. Jaune beats the disk drive into junk and steps to another. WHAM. Same routine. He's already demolished half a dozen. Winter topples a file cabinet, scattering files. Flynt staggers up with an armload of heavy M-O (magnetic-optical) disks and drops them on a growing stack in the middle of the floor. He and Winter have their breathing masks hanging down around their necks, since the halon gas has dissipated.**

Ruby was _so_ glad Penny wasn't paying attention to this, not knowing if she'd lose her mind at all the destroyed equipment. 'Who knows, she'd probably recognize some of the stuff as her version of organs strewn about.' And like that, she just made herself sick.

**To Winter, Flynt pants out "Yeah, all that stuff! And all the disks in those offices. Especially my office, everything in my office!" To Jaune, "These, too! This is important. (SMASH!) And all this here... that's it." Flynt looks around, directing them to which was the most important, and thus the first to go.**

**Jaune cuts a swath, under Flynt's direction, exploding equipment into fragments with his inhuman swings. SMASH! It's carnage. Millions in hardware, and all irreplaceable fruits of their years of research... shattered, broken, dumped in a heap for the big bonfire of destiny.**

James, Winter, Terra, and Watts felt an itch in their brains. They didn't like seeing all that equipment going to waste. They knew why it had to be destroyed, they just didn't like seeing it happen.

**Flynt stops a second, panting. He looks at a machine and turns to Jaune who is still cutting away.**

**"Uhhh excuse me?" Flynt asked.**

**Jaune, not hearing him, swings downward again destroying the still attached machine he's currently destroying.**

**"Excuse Me!?" Flynt asked again.**

**Jaune turns to Flynt and waits for him to continue.**

**"Can I borrow that thing for a second?" Flynt asked.**

**Jaune hands him the axe (Odin: "Oy, don't get between a man and his axe!"). Flynt hefts it one-handed. He turns to a lab table... on it is another prototype processor.**

**"I've worked for years on this thing." Flynt said.**

**Swinging awkwardly but with great force he smashes the axe down onto the processor prototype, exploding it into fragments. His shoulder is agony, but he looks satisfied.**

'It's fortunate that Penny is out of it at the moment,' James thought as they see the man destroy years of his work, 'she would've no doubt replaced Flynt with her father, and envisioned herself being destroyed.' He sighed, waiting for the universe to finally finish and Penny to be at peace once more.

**Dozens of police cars come on to the parking lot and surround the building. SWAT as well as a helicopter join them as well.**

**Finch taps away at his little lap-top, which is running code combinations into the card-key lock. Suddenly, the green light on the lock goes on and it unlocks with a clunk.**

**"Easy money." Finch said.**

"Well," Qrow starts, looking at Winter with a shit eating smile on his face, "looks like his hacking of ATM's payed off here."

Winter huffed and turned her head away with her nose pointed up, not dignifying him with a response.

**He whips it open, revealing a rack of keys. But the vault-key is distinctive, a long steel rectangle on a neck-chain. Finch grabs it and runs toward the lab.**

**Winter and Jaune are working like a team, rigging the explosives. She is taping the claymores to the gas cans with duct tape to create powerful incendiary bombs. Jaune is attaching claymores and blocks of C-4 plastic explosive to the large mainframe computer cabinets nearby. All the claymores are wired back to one detonator which has a radio-control relay switch.**

**"How do you set them off?" Flynt asked.**

**Jaune shows him a remote detonator, a small transmitter with a red plunger.**

**"Radio remote." Jaune said.**

"BOOM!" Nora, Odin, and Coco shouts, startling their partners by the sudden yell.

**He makes a plunger-pushing motion with his thumb and an accompanying "click" sound. Flynt nods. Just then Finch comes running in, holding up the key.**

**"I got it. Piece of cake." Finch said.**

**Winter looks to Flynt and Jaune. "Go! I'll finish here." She said.**

**They run out as the sound of sirens grow louder outside.**

**"I'll deal with the police." Jaune said.**

**"Remember what I said, you can't..." Finch starts but pauses at what he sees.**

**Jaune turns around and shows his improved smile. "Trust me."**

"So badass~." Yang and Coco fanned themselves at the more human smile he pulled off. Neo pulled out a card that said 10 written on it.

Ruby quickly took a picture, wanting to show Penny that Jaune finally got the smile right. A light blush blossomed on her cheeks as she took in the smile while taking the picture.

Secretly, Glynda, Emerald, Vernal, and Raven all did the same.

**The security duo of Moshier and Gibbons are cowering behind cars in the parking lot in front of the building. They turn as L.A.P.D. black-and-whites pour into the lot, turning the area into a disco of whirling blue and red lights. The cops are jumping from their cars and ducking behind them. Emphasis on small arms here. Behind them an ugly black SWAT van screeches into the lot.**

"Ugh." Coco scowled at the ugly van. Roman nods. "I agree, needs a complete makeover."

**The thump of rotors is heard as a police chopper arrives and swings in close to the building. It rakes its xenon spotlight through the second-floor offices.**

Ruby tilts her head. "What's that thing?"

Jack says, "That's a helicopter, think of it like a Bullhead."

Ruby said "Ah" as she nodded. 'I wonder what kind of weapons are stored there. Probably not much, it _is_ meant for the police.'

**Jaune crosses the office toward the floor-to-ceiling windows, gatling gun in hand (Coco: "Oh yeah, show those guys our baby!" Velvet: "Coco!"). He is outlined starkly by the spotlight as it rakes through the dark offices. Without breaking stride, he kicks an executive desk toward the window. Glass explodes outward and the desk topples, falling to the sidewalk below.**

**Jaune, standing at the edge, begins to fire multiple long bursts amongst the police cars lines up below. The cops duck as glass flies. After the minigun runs out, he drops it in exchange for his grenade launcher (Nora: "Hah! Take that Coco, grenades for the win!"). Taking aim, he immediately fires it at another police car, and watches as it goes up in flames.**

**Jaune, with his superb aim, manages to hit no one. But noticed that the damage to the vehicles are severe.**

Coco grins, ignoring the glares of many of the women for the 'baby' comment. "Heh, that's pretty cool, but I wonder how more awesome it would've been with my Gianduja in his _more than_ _capable_ hands." She licked her lips, making many feel like she wasn't talking about her weapon in the end.

Nora grinned, happy that Jaune used that grenade launcher. 'Though it would've been better if that thing could fire multiple grenades like Magnhild. I wonder…'

Ren, Velvet, and Glynda shuddered.

The latter two, knowing the power behind the second year's weapon, and wanting it as far away from the Terminator as possible. 'Though I guess it could be effective enough to destroy the other machine for good.' They shook their heads. 'Too risky.'

The former due to his 'Nora Sense' flaring up, believing that she came up with another scheme and it would no doubt bite him in the ass.

**The cops immediately fire back once the barrage ended. Jaune turns and walks calmly from the window as glass, office furniture, drapes, etc., are riddled by returning fire. A few rounds hit his back, but he doesn't notice. He reloads as he walks.**

**Tight on a key inserted into one of the vault locks. The view widens as Finch and Flynt stand poised, hands on keys.**

**"And let's see what's behind door number one." Finch jokes.**

**Flynt nods and they turns the keys together. The vault grumbles to itself, withdrawing it locking bolts with a final KLONK! Together Flynt and Finch swing the door open.**

**Finch and Flynt are isolated from the world in this silent steel womb. Flynt opens the cabinet containing the Terminator relics. It's Finch's turn to stare with uneasy déjà vu as he sees the Terminator hand and CPU. Then in one vicious move he sweeps his arm behind the inert-gas flasks and hurls them to the floor. The glass containers shatter. Finch snatches the CPU and the metal hand out of the broken glass.**

**"Got ol' Skynet by the balls now, Coal. Come on, let's book!" Finch said.**

**Clutching the steel hand and pocketing the chip like it's a Mars bar he just bought, Finch runs out. Flynt follows.**

"Great, so they got the stash." Mercury says, impressed that they managed to pull it off without the help of the big guy.

"Now, how are they going to destroy the two?" Cinder asks with a slight frown.

**The varsity takes the field as the SWAT troopers sprint forward by squads. They flank the lobby and work their way inside, deploying rapidly. They move and freeze, behind cover, quivering with adrenaline. They have all that great SWAT equipment: body armor, gasmasks, M-16s, tear-gas launchers, ropes. The works. They make a lot of hand signals and keep their mouths shut. They're well- trained and deadly. We see the advance squad of SWATs make it to one of the stairwells. They start up, two at a time, covering each other ritualistically by the numbers.**

James and Winter blinked. From what they've seen, these SWAT were more equipped than their own variants in Atlas! And what a blow to their pride that was to admit.

Others felt that this amount of firepower for a police unit was a bit much. 'Though these guys don't have Aura, so I guess that's why they look like they're going to war.' A few thought.

**Finch pelts into the lab with Flynt stumbling along behind him. Winter is just about finished wiring all the charges to the central detonator.**

**"Ready to rock?" Finch said.**

**"Ready." Winter answered.**

**Finch tosses her the metal hand. She catches it and bends to put the hand in her empty backpack. Winter zips the pack and starts to shuck into it. Flynt begins running out of steam. The bandages at his shoulder are soaked with seeping blood. He stands in the middle of the lab, saying goodbye in his mind, looking weak and empty. Jaune strides into the lab.**

Terra frowned. 'He looks like he's about to keel over any second.'

**"Time to go. Now." Jaune said.**

**He and Finch head back the way they came, through security. Winter sees that in her work, she has set the detonator down twenty feet away, near where Flynt is standing.**

**"Flynt, hand me the detonator. Let's go." Winter said.**

**He gingerly picks up the detonator, then starts toward her. CRASH! The doors at the back end of the lab are kicked open! The SWAT leader and two others open fire immediately, their M-16s raking the room. Winter dives behind a computer cabinet. Flynt however, from being injured and exhausted, is hit. He is slammed to the floor by the impacts.**

"What the fuck?!" James yells in anger. "You idiots! You are police officers, you can't just open fire immediately like that!"

Winter glares, "What the hell is wrong with them! Don't they know that it's against the law for them to open fire indiscriminately?!"

Many were glaring at the trigger-happy SWAT team for gunning down Flynt.

**In the hall, Finch hears the firing and spins to run back.**

**"Mommm!" Finch yelled.**

**Jaune grabs him and turns around as bullets slam into his broad back (Winter: "You imbeciles are dead! That is my **_**child**_** you're shooting at!"). He makes it around the corner with Finch, out of the line of fire.**

**In the lab, bullets fly over Winter's head, smacking all around her, clanging into the machine protecting her. She can see Flynt, slumped on the floor. Debris and flying glass rain on her as the SWATs pour on the fire. The detonator is clutched in his hand. He rolls to face her, his eyes bulging from the pain of his torn-up guts.**

**"Go." Flynt said.**

The heroes bow their heads in solemn respect for the man's bravery. Even though he's in incredible pain from the bullets hitting him, he still tells Winter to leave him behind.

**Winter hesitates a split second. Then she nods and snap-rolls and fast-crawls through broken glass and debris into the hall.**

**Finch see's all of this and notices she's trapped.**

**"Shit, there's no way out of there." He said as he watches from the monitor.**

**Jaune hearing that knows just what to do.**

**We see Winter by a wall when all of a sudden it burst open and shows Jaune and how he broke it down to grab her. Jaune grabs her by the jacket and hauls her roughly to her feet. Bullets strike the walls behind them as they sprint forward.**

**They around the corner. Finch does a fast take noticing that she's not hit, and they run together through the security checkpoint. Finch reaches the first door, and tries it. Locked. Jaune unslings the M-79 blooper smoothly, opening the breach.**

**"Get back." Jaune says. He pulls a grenade from the bandolier over his shoulder, and slides it into the bore. Flick his wrist. The breech snaps shut. Winter and Finch have a split second to duck and cover.**

**"Cover your ears." Jaune warns them.**

**They do. KABOOM! Twenty feet away the door, and half the wall around it, explodes outward. The back-blast hits Jaune full force, but he strides through the smoking hole before the debris has even hit the floor.**

"Grenades, always the way to open doors." Nora says, less enthusiastic than last time. Her parents immediately pulls her in a deep hug to comfort her.

**The SWAT leader moves cautiously through the lab. Cat-stepping, he circles around a desk which block Coal's body from his view. His M-16 is leveled crisply. We look over his shoulder as he rounds the desk, revealing Flynt Coal's not dead. He will be very soon, but at this moment he is conscious. He has propped himself up against the desk, and holds a book in one hand. A heavy technical manual. Below the book is the detonator, upright on the tile floor. The message is clear: Shoot me, the book drops on the plunger. Adios.**

**Flynt wheezes, trying to draw enough breath to talk.**

**"I don't know... how much longer... I can... hold this thing..." Flynt said.**

Those from Atlas rose up and saluted the brave man. The man not doing what many felt they themselves _would_, killing the men who fatally wounded them. In his last moments, he showed what kind of man he really was.

Winter said, "He's showing those idiots mercy." She shakes her head, "I wouldn't have."

**The SWAT leader seems to see the wires, the claymores, the gas cans all around him for the first time. His eyes, visible through his gasmask, go very wide. He spins and motions his squad back.**

"You know, that raises an interesting point." Whitley says as he tilts his head. "How _did_ all those bullets miss those explosives and containers?"

No one had an answer to that one, and in the end chalked it up on an _ass ton_ of sheer dumb luck.

**"Fall back! Everybody out! Move it! OUT NOW!" the leader ordered.**

**They retreat so fast they crash into the next group coming up the stairs (Coco: "Hah! That's right, you mothers! Run!").**

**Jaune reaches the main elevators and hits the button. Winter and Finch are coughing and stumbling in the choking darkness, buddy-breathing with the single mask. The doors open and they get in the elevator heading down.**

**Flynt is lying amid the ruins of his dreams. Sprawled on the floor, he has his back propped up against the desk. He is bathed in his own blood, which runs out in long fingers across the tiles. His breathing is shallow and raspy. He still holds the book, trembling, above the switch. In his lap is the picture from his desk. He has pulled it from the debris next to him. A tear trickles from his eye. His wife and children smile up at him through broken glass. Cut to the pupil of his eye, at the moment of death, the light fade from his eyes. He's gone. His arm drops, and the book hits the switch.**

The other heroes stood up in salute. Many crying at the gut-wrenching sadness of the man's final moments looking at a picture of his family.

**At the face of the building, an explosion erupts with glass and fire flying out in rapid speed. The remains of the second-floor windows shower the parking lot and a huge fireball rolls out, leaping into the sky. The cops look up, stunned. The helicopter banks away from the heat. Burning debris falls among the cop cars and a number of officer's break ranks, pulling back.**

Several had choice words to say about the police there. One was that if they didn't shoot first, then a father would soon be reunited with his children.

Ruby and Yang held onto Summer as they thought of something similar, while the woman hugged her babies close as she drew parallels between Flynt's death and her own.

**Only one of them seems to be moving with purpose. A bike cop who has just arrived drives through the disorganized crowd, directly toward the building.**

Everyone could tell who that person was. They could think of only one 'cop' who could walk so determinately while ignoring everything else. For once, everyone felt they could live with Cardin killing a few more people.

'Would serve those SWAT guys right at least.' A few thought.

**The elevator doors part and Jaune eases a look out into the corridor. The walls on either side of him erupt with bullet holes. The SWATs had the lobby end of the corridor blocked off. They're totally trapped, cut off, screwed. The SWATs fire a tear gas grenade toward the elevators (James: "Oh sure, **_**now**_** bring out the tear gas."). It spews the vicious CS gas out in a swirling cloud which envelops Winter and Finch, who are pressed against the back wall of the elevator.**

**"Keep your eyes closed and don't move. I'll be back." Jaune said. They nodded and squeezed their eyes shut.**

**He slings the grenade launcher over his shoulder and walks out into the corridor. With the SWAT team, they're gripping their weapons at the mouth of the corridor. They watch the boiling cloud, waiting.**

**From their POV, on the wall of boiling smoke, a figure appears. Walking as if unaffected by the gas around him. Jaune emerges from the smoke. Not even misty-eyed. Not what they expected.**

**Through a megaphone, the leader of this group says "Stop where you are. Lie down on the floor, face down. Down on floor, now!"**

Nora glares at the police. "Beat their asses, Jaune." She growls, ignoring the looks of shock from her friends.

James and Winter were stewing in their anger. 'Those idiots are only _now_ choosing to issue out demands?!' Winter thought.

James meanwhile took a deep breath to calm himself. 'If they had only done this sooner, then Mr. Coal wouldn't have died.' He glared at the incompetent officers, hoping for some retribution for the man's sacrifice.

**Jaune continues to stride toward them.**

**The SWATs tense up. They've never seen anything like this. They're not sure what to do. Closer and closer, he approaches.**

**"Drop him." Leader ordered.**

**They open fire. The corridor is filled with cracking thunder as the rounds tear into Jaune's chest. Stomach. Face. Thighs. His leather jacket leaps and jerks as the rounds hit him. The SWATs think the guy's wearing body armor or something (Velvet: "Are you really that stupid? Do you see any armor on his face or legs?"). They keep firing. The rounds tear into him, staggering him slightly, but he keeps moving.**

**"You're not hitting him!" The leader said.**

**"Yes I am!" One of his subordinates shouted, getting scared of the man who seems to just **_**eat**_** their bullets.**

**Jaune draws his .45 smoothly. Unhurried. He shoots the nearest man in the left thigh. As he screams and drops, Jaune shoots him in the right thigh. He does this with nearly everyone. Jaune then bends down and picks up the shrieking man's weapon... the tear gas launcher.**

Cinder smirked, remembering his promise of no killing. 'That's good, helps to make them suffer longer.'

**It is one of those new rotary jobs that hold 12 rounds in a big drum. Jaune shoots the next SWAT in the chest with the tear-gas launcher. The gas canister hits the guy's body armor but doesn't penetrate. However, it's like getting slugged in the stomach with a full swing from a baseball bat. The SWAT fold double and hits the tiles, gasping.**

A few laugh at the man's pain.

**Jaune is like an image from Hell, a tall figure in shredded black leather, streaked with blood. One eye is a bloody socket, the metal eye-servo glistening. The flesh of one cheek hangs down in tatters, revealing the chrome cheekbone beneath. The whole front of his jacket is blown open, revealing his metal armor chest.**

The students feel queasy, but manage to hold it in. 'Thank goodness Penny isn't able to see this.' Ruby thought, seeing her friend sleeping off the buzz in her head.

**The remaining SWAT starts to fall back. He turns to run and - KPOW! A gas canister nails him in the back, sending him sprawling.**

**Meanwhile, outside, Cardin guns a bike up a ramp to a pedestrian bridge which crosses from the nearby parking structure to the Cyberdyne building. It enters on the second floor, which is now a burning maze. He drives into the smoky wreckage. It draws a Hoechler, a Koch MPK machine pistol and cruises slowly into the firelit offices, scanning.**

The heroes groaned at the bad timing of the Terminator.

**Back to the action, smoke boils out of the front door as a figure emerges. Firing the tear-gas launcher with one hand, Jaune launches all remaining rounds among the cop vehicles. Unprotected officers run, choking and half-blind, slamming into cars and tripping over each other (Nora: "Pff, haha! Serves you right, you jerks!"). It is a total rout.**

**At the SWAT van, one of the SWATs is rapidly handing out the remaining masks to unprotected cops. A figure appears out of the smoke beside him. He looks up. His mask is ripped off and he is handed the empty launcher. Instinctively he catches it. Jaune grabs his flak vest with one hand and sails him out into the mist.**

**Jaune strides the length of the van and climbs into the driver's seat. No keys in the ignition.**

**He flips down the sun visor. The keys fall into his hand. He starts the van and slams it into gear.**

"Wait, why were the keys under the sun visor? That's like leaving them in the ignition." Tai says. He owns a car himself, and he was never dumb enough to leave his keys _inside_ the car. 'Man, they really are dumb.' He facepalms, feeling a bit bad for thinking that. (5)

Lucy blinked in shock. 'What kind of moron leaves the keys inside of the vehicle? That's like _asking_ for the car to be stolen!' Ironic, considering who her mom is.

Terra scratches her head. "Wait, how did he know where the keys were? And why would a machine even _need_ keys in the first place? Can't he just hotwire it?"

Watts rubbed the bridge of his nose, thinking the same questions and not finding an answer to any of them.

**The tear gas has cleared to a thin haze. The uninjured SWATs are tending their wounded. They look up at the sound of shouts and a roaring engine. The SWAT van crashes into the lobby in an explosion of glass and debris (Coco: "That is so cool!"). Cops scatter as the van screeches across the lobby in a smoking one-eighty, sliding to a stop across the corridor which leads to the bank of elevators. Jaune backs up until - crunch – he seals the corridor with the back of the van.**

**Winter and Finch stumble along the corridor, coughing. They leap into the back of the van and Jaune hits the throttle. The van roars across the lobby and exits through blown-out windows.**

**Cardin, astride the Kawasaki, looks down from a second-floor office and sees the van tearing across the parking lot with the remaining cops firing at it. It knows. It looks around, analyzing its options. It sees the helicopter hovering outside the building at the end of this corner office block. It twists full throttle on the powerful bike, roaring through the office, accelerating fast, straight at the windows.**

"Please miss, please miss." Pyrrha quietly repeats herself, hoping Cardin misses the helicopter and goes splat on the concrete.

**Cardin blasts out through the glass, airborne on the motorcycle. It rockets across the gap to the hovering chopper and slams into the canopy. The impact of bike and rider pitches the chopper radically. The startled pilot curses a he fights to regain control as the bike tumbles to the pavement below, barely missing a few police below. Cardin doesn't. It clings to the shattered canopy. Nightmarishly, the pilot watches as Cardin smashes its head through the plexiglass and rapidly pours itself through the jagged hole. It reforms instantly into its previous self on the passenger seat.**

Coco sighs and raises her hand, "Ok, I'll admit, _that_ was pretty cool." No one could deny that, despite many wanting to so as to not acknowledge that a version of _Cardin_ was cool.

Velvet eye-twitched, cursing herself and Cardin for forcing her to agree with her friend.

"**Get out." Cardin hurls the pilot out of the chopper and slides into the driver's seat. The chopper is auto-rotating, spinning out of control. It drops toward the parking lot. Cardin recovers control ten feet above the ground.**

**Cops hits the deck as the tail-boom swings around, going over them by inches. The chopper lifts out in a power climb, roaring away across the parking lot toward the fleeing SWAT van.**

**Jaune looks back at his two passengers as he turns the boxy van onto a divided highway. Winter and Finch are catching their breath, still coughing from the CS gas. Jaune looks to the rear-view mirror. He sees the xenon searchlight of the chopper behind them, gaining. Winter looks around the inside of the SWAT van. It is a rolling armory. There are rifles, ballistic vests, all manner of equipment.**

Whitley sighed as he rubbed his forehead. "_Why_ were there still weapons inside the vehicle when the teams were _already_ deployed?" He groaned out. (6)

**"Finch, get under these. Hurry! And no matter what, you stay under there." Winter said.**

**He sits against the front bulkhead of the van and she pile bullet-proof vests on top of him, completely covering him. Looking back, she sees the helicopter chasing them**

**"Chopper, coming in." Winter said.**

**Jaune sensing futuristic robotics in the helicopter stated, "It's him."**

**Winter grabs two M-16s from the wall-rack and loads them. She starts on a shotgun as the SWAT van weaves through sparse traffic at high speed. Jaune slews the unstable van around cars and trucks which seem to be crawling. The van hits its top speed of eighty.**

**The chopper swings in behind them, closing fast. Cardin reaches through the shattered canopy with the MPK machine pistol and fires. The back of the van clangs with hits. The door windows are blown in.**

**Jaune weaves the van, trying to throw off Cardin's aim. The unstable vehicle screeches and wobbles on the edge of control. One of the doors is kicked open. Winter, wearing a ballistic vest, crouches in the doorway, whipping up the M-16. She opens fire. Bullets riddle what's left of the chopper's canopy as Cardin returns fire. The van is stitched with hits.**

**Inside the van, holes are punched through the thin sheet-metal walls, ripping up the interior. The vests covering Finch are hit repeatedly. We see that Winter has hung two Kevlar vests on the inside of the back door and she ducks behind these as bullets hit around her. She pops back out and fires in controlled bursts. The M-16 empties, and she grabs another.**

Weiss sputters, "Wha- How- Didn't we already see one of those vans take _shotgun_ blasts before?"

The ones who saw that scene with the Joker firing at the SWAT van earlier were confused. Cardin is using a machine pistol and is able to punch holes through the van, but the one that the clown was shooting at in that other viewing only left indents on the armor at best, and he used a machine pistol _and_ a shotgun.

"I kind of feel bad for anyone unlucky enough to ride one of those things into a real firefight." Saphron said, thinking that if a pistol could do so much damage, then a rifle or would just destroy anyone in the back.

**Jaune swerves around a car which is changing lanes, hitting it and causing it to skid off to the side. They swerve to miss the back end of a white 18-wheel tanker. Winter reloads and keeps firing. The van swerves around a Toyota. A moment later the helicopter passes it, the rotor just clearing the top of the car. (Terra: "I hope whoever was inside is safe.")**

**Cardin fires the machine pistol just as Winter popped out to fire. She takes a hit in the thigh, and several rounds hammer into her Kevlar vest. She is thrown back onto the floor of the van. She lies there, an exposed target...**

Winter winced, knowing that without Aura the impacts would hurt like a bitch.

Weiss and Whitley flinched as their sister's thigh began to bleed.

**Jaune sees Cardin preparing to fire again. He locks up the van's brakes. Tires screech as the vehicle shimmies. Winter is thrown forward, sliding up to the bulkhead next to Finch, and the helicopter slams right into the back of the van. The rotor disintegrates, the back doors of the van are crushed in as the canopy, the whole front of the fuselage is hammered into junk, trapping Cardin inside the twisted metal. The chopper hits the pavement, flips, sideways, and cartwheels... smashing itself into a shapeless mass of twisted metal. It falls away behind the van, tumbling end over end.**

Everyone gapes at the move. "Holy shit." Ren mutters.

**Jaune fights to control the van, which is fishtailing violently from the impact. It smashes up against the center divider, screeching along the concrete, and then pulls away. Jaune puts the hammer down and the van accelerates. He swerves to avoid an ugly pickup crawling like a snail ahead. The right front fender of the van crumpled by slamming the wall, sawing into the tire. The tire blows and peels off the clean rim. The steel wheel grinds across the pavement, striking trails of sparks, and the van slides sideways and topples. Steel screams on pavement as the van grinds to a stop on its side.**

The sound of twisting metal caused the Faunus to yelp as they all clutched their ears in pain. This also had the effect of snapping the others out of their stupor.

"Are you crazy?!" Weiss shrieked. "Why did you just stop?! My sister and nephew could have been crushed by the impact, you dunce!"

Her friends leaned away from the angry heiress.

Willow began to chew her bottom lip in worry. 'My grandbaby!' She pulled a surprised Whitley and Winter in a death grip as she wanted to know that her grandson and daughter were alright. Ignoring the repeated tapping on her arms as Whitley and Winter struggled to escape the sleeper hold their mother had unknowingly caught them in.

**Inside the van, Finch crawls to Winter, who is groaning and holding her bleeding leg. She is pale and is in shock. Jaune starts to extricate himself from the crumpled driver's seat.**

Seeing that the two were ok, Willow let go of her children, causing them to drop to the ground in a gasping and coughing heap.

**Back down the road, the helicopter wreckage is a crumpled ball of junk metal, unrecognizable. Behind it, the tanker truck brakes hard, shuddering and groaning, trying to stop. The big tires lock up in clouds of tire-smoke. The rig comes to a shuddering stop just short of the wrecked chopper. The shaken driver jumps down. Behind the wreckage a cop emerges, walking toward him.**

"Are you kidding me!" Garnet shouts in disbelief as her sisters' jaws dropped at the machine being alright. "Can nothing kill that thing?!" Peridot yells, copying her twin.

The students shouted at the screen for the driver to get away from the murdering machine.

**"Goddamn, are you alri-" The driver started but paused.**

**SSSHHCK! Cardin drives a blade through the man's abdomen and walks on past without slowing, or even looking at him.**

The shouting stops as they looked at the dead man with sadness.

**It climbs into the open cab of the tanker. Releases the brake. As the truck bellows are rolls forward, we see the large blue letters on the side which say "CRYOCO INC. LIQUID NITROGEN SUPPLY'.**

Robin raised an eyebrow, "The hell is Nitrogen?" Ignoring her sister chiding her for her language.

Jack shrugged, "Think of it like Ice Dust."

She looked at the god in confusion, "What the fuck is Dust?" She really wanted to know what this Dust thing is that everyone keeps talking about.

Everyone else looked at her in surprise. "Wait," Weiss began, "you don't know what Dust is?"

The girl looked at her with a tilted head as Altani shook her head, "Not really, no." She scratches her head, just behind her kitty ears, and said "This is the first time anyone's ever mentioned this stuff in length to us before." She shrunk a bit at the looks given to her, "What?"

Maria blinked "Dust?" The two princesses looked at her. "The substance that powers everything? The material used in conjunction with Aura to help Huntsmen battle the Grimm?" They shook their heads in a negative.

Robin looked up at her surprised mom, "What's Aura?" Her sister looked to Sienna at the same time and asked, "What's Grimm?"

Everyone sputtered for a response to that, then looked to Jack as he snapped his fingers, "Oh yeah, that's right." He looked sheepishly as everyone looked at him. "So, remember how those Arrancar attacked the Land of Darkness in that one future?" Those who saw it nodded, shivering at the memories. "Well, what you didn't see was that Jaune had another attack conducted throughout the borders of the land, the groups tasked with ensuring that no Grimm could escape as the pools, the one place that can spawn Grimm in large numbers, were being destroyed."

That… that made a lot of sense to everyone. If the Grimm couldn't escape, and their homes were destroyed, then the Grimm would be extinct by the time the two girls were born. 'Especially with those Arrancars leading the attack.' Many thought.

Nora grins as she shouts, "Go fearless leader! My big brother always has a plan!"

Salem blinked, "Wait a moment," Jack looked at her, "that still doesn't explain how those two don't know what Aura or Dust is." 'They were created by the Brother Gods after all.' Ozpin nodded, knowing where the two power sources came from.

The others hummed in agreement, wanting to know too. Jack smirked and went back to watching the screen, causing many to narrow their eyes at him. (7)

**END**

**And done. Man, this chapter was a pain in the ass to do. So much research. Also, you may be wondering how Penny got drunk when Qrow's flask is enchanted to take away hangovers, not help get people drunk. Well, Jack felt bad for Penny's near mental breakdown and felt she needed something to ease the edge off. So he temporarily lifted the second charm while still allowing her to not get a hangover by the end of this, all the while still denying Qrow a chance to get hammered (man, even with all those lucky charms he's still unlucky).**

**A few more may also be mad at me basically ripping those SWAT a new asshole, but they did shoot first without shouting "Freeze, hands up in the air where I can see them!" Thanks to their bullheaded attitude, a man is now dead, and a family is without a father/husband. All because a few officers decided to shoot without taking a measure of the situation. Not cool.**

**Anyway, next time: the final battle between the older T-800 and the prototype T-1000. Hope to see there, peace!**

**List of current Jaune's children in the Nexus:**

**Neo: Lucy**

**Emerald: Peridot & Garnet**

**Vernal: Amber**

**Raven: Robin**

**Sienna: Altani**

**Glynda: Alice**

**1\. When James/Two-face tried to punish Ozpin in "Why So Serious?", only she doesn't have a gun pointed at her. Seeing the fear on the little girl's face over her father's fate is enough to invoke memories of that.**

**2\. The shoulder is made up of three bones: Scapula (shoulder blade), Clavicle (collar bone), and Humerus (arm bone); the fact that the bullet didn't hit **_**any**_** of them is a miracle. Considering the angle, the bullet realistically **_**should've**_** hit the Scapula as the exit wound in the movie is near dead center of the shoulder, and the Scapula is a completely solid piece of bone, no gaps in it for the bullet to safely pass through.**

**3\. Rainbow: A new recruit in basic training.**

**4\. While water is very effective on class A fires (common combustibles, i.e. wood and paper), Halon is effective on class A as well (though not as good as water); it's also great on class B (flammable liquids), and doesn't conduct electricity back to the extinguisher operator (class C fires). Fire extinguishers are effective on A, B and C class fires, but they are highly corrosive, and create billowing clouds of choking dust. Foam extinguishers are effective on class A and B fires, and are particularly useful for preventing ignition of flammable liquid spills. However, foams require cleanup and aren't for use on electrical fires. All the information I found is in www.h3rcleanagents support_faq_2. htm**

**5\. Many may think leaving the keys there would be easier to start the SWAT van, but wouldn't it be faster to just leave them in the ignition like Tai remarked? Also, it's a van. Why would they need to be fast in leaving an area when police cruisers are much faster?**

**6\. That part never made sense to me. Sure the police were arming the other officers, but how could there be so many weapons left after the van was taken? The SWAT team that the van ferried were armed and ready, there would've been little to no reason for there to be leftover weapons; ammo sure, that I would believe, but not weapons. Also, shouldn't those cops already have weapons stashed inside their own cruisers? Plus, with all the weapons there, I doubt that there would be enough room leftover for the SWAT team in full gear. Looked cramped with just Sarah and John to me.**

**7\. Yeah, those two don't know about Dust and Aura. Reason why is because those two power sources don't exist anymore. Their dad saw to that when he did **_**something**_** to the ones who created the stuff, which would also explain why he nor his wives told their children. And the Grimm haven't existed in their timeline for years, remember the attack on the Land of Darkness?**


	28. Judgement Day Pt 6

**Chapter 27: "Judgement Day" Pt. 6**

**Sup everyone, here's a new chapter for you all. So many loved the last one, thank the gods because that one took more effort than I thought… So much research T-T… And it payed off, almost 950,000 views! Anyway, you know the drill: Reviews!**

**Gamelover41592****: Thank you, glad you liked it.**

**Nliochristou****: Not sure, plenty of people said it was awful so probably not. Haven't watched Transformers since the second movie, thought it was a bit boring to be honest (which is weird since there were so many explosions and shootings going on…maybe that was it?). I've never played Call of Duty beyond Nazi Zombies, and I know plenty of people did COD before. "Into the Arc-hive" by ****animegamer89**** has 3 chapters for COD, "Arcs of the Multiverse" by ****King-Mac-11**** has a few sprinkled around (136 chapters and counting), and "RWBY Watches Modern Warfare Trilogy" by ****blaszczu2500**** is dedicated solely to the games (it's pretty good to read to be honest). Again, haven't played the games myself beyond head shooting zombies, so I won't be the best to react to the games' storylines.**

**Steamruby****: I do have one, I mean I try to post a chapter every Monday, but sometimes I have to wait a day or two. But yes, every Monday is what I aim for. Used to be on Fridays-Saturdays, but that didn't work.**

**Kasix-K****: I'm glad you enjoyed the previous chapter. I actually do have another in store. Three actually. One is where Jaune celebrates his initiation (I'm actually surprised he didn't do so since he escaped death several times [4: launch into forest, scorpion launch, ruins collapsing, fight against Deathstalker] in that test). He and the gang heads to Junior's Bar, but only he and Yang stay around to drink while the others left for one reason or another. They are then joined by a surprise visitor and hilarity ensues. The second one is actually pretty dark. MUCH darker than "Revenge of the Arcs". I'm keeping that one close to the chest, but I have left some hints of what the inspiration of the scenes could be in the end of "Revenge of the Arcs". The third is actually a scenario of what the future, if they hadn't arrived in the Nexus, would've been like. Now, while Penny's reactions may be a bit over the top, the others almost always had clean deaths in that future. RWBY saw themselves killed in a recording **_**after**_** they already saw their dead bodies so they were prepared to see their final moments (and their wounds were cauterized so there's no rivers of blood), NPR died off-screen (yes, they know Jaune killed them, but knowing and seeing are different), and no one knows what really happened to CFVY except for Velvet, and she died quickly. Even the villains didn't suffer much except for the fear Jaune instilled in them. Only Qrow, Glynda, and Cardin suffered before their deaths. The first two being riddled with bullets, while the latter had to fight over the corpses of his team. Even James and Oz died quickly (getting blown up and stabbed). At least all their deaths were quick and didn't leave them horribly mutilated as a result. Penny on the other hand: she had to learn what became of Humanity and Faunus kind after Skynet achieved sentience (even parts of the future war), witnessed Jaune rip his skin off to show 'bones', learned what Skynet did to its own android soldiers, saw his 'brain' get picked apart (and nearly destroyed by a crazy Winter), and seeing an android killing innocent people. Penny was an android too, and they have the capability to learn like her. She's upset because she knows that she **_**could**_** end up like them. We even see this when Penny questions herself on whether she should continue to fight for her creators when she didn't even have a choice to begin with. Compared to that carnival of horror, the others had it easy.**

**KAPfan9876****: That's a yes.**

**keybladelight****: I think someone else did, don't know if they reacted to the whole movie but I do remember them reacting to the beginning where Jaune and Pyrrha are married, and postman Port high-fived him for the size of his wife's bra after that deer rampaged through the house. I also remember the girls shouting, "death to the deer!" or something after Pyrrha's daughter cried when her doll was getting ripped apart… Found it! "Reacting to Alternate Arc's" by ****humenwrecker****. So they did do the beginning, but not the whole movie. Really funny, great story overall too, really recommend it XD**

**Legion 5173****: Funny you mention the son thing, that's gonna happen in the next universe. However, like Finch, he won't arrive in the nexus since the universe isn't a possible future (remember, the other children who arrived only did so through the gifts chapter). I'll have him show up later, but for now he's staying in that universe.**

**RedDragonRevan****: Haven't played the games to be honest, so I can't comment on whether Mass Effect is a good suggestion or not. More of a Halo fan myself, and I'm trying to make a Halo Reach reaction for those who want me to react to games. And yes, I'm going to cover the whole thing. Tried to make one for the game Overlord. Would've been funny to see a fat Ruby (trust me, it would've made sense), but that one was lost in the crash. Still trying, but it's not a priority right now. Making one for Destiny with the help of another author, but that one is slow going as I'm not knowledgeable about that one either.**

**The Poarter****: Ah, but the audience don't know that. For all they know, the van shot up by the Joker and the one shot by the T-1000 are the same model, they don't have any idea that the universes are nearly 2 decades apart from each other (dark knight came out in 2008 while Terminator 2 came out in 1991). And if it's standard practice for police cruisers to have their own mini armories, wouldn't that make having the SWAT van carrying extra weapons a waste of space?**

**warrior of six blades****: Same. And man, Penny sure picked a great time to wake up.**

**penmaster cole****: I think the article says that that's a misconception. That ****to stop a fire you typically need to remove one the three: ignition, fuel, or oxygen. Halon adds a fourth component rather than stopping any of the first three, thus breaking the chain reaction. It stops the three from coming together by chemically reacting with them. So basically it adds onto the fire and stops it without removing the air.**

**ClashofC****: Never thought of it, no. Haven't played any of the God of War games, so I can't really try.**

**HAIL KING DELIRIOUS****: Actually had that thought. Won't do the whole movie, most of it is walking anyway, but the beginning of it. The storming of the beaches with Vale, Arcadia, Menagerie, and Vacuo battling Atlas and Mistral (3 guesses on who their version of Hitler is). It'll be like a Second Great War, which is interesting because the movie takes place during WW2 while Remnant has only had one Great War and this one would be a second one with the same players as the first which for the most part happened in WW2.**

**Wolfang21****: Funny you should say that, I'm thinking of an AU/maybe possible future, haven't decided which yet, where Jaune is expelled from Beacon (transcripts), and wallows around in the deserts of Vacuo (still thinking **_**how**_** he got there). There he gathers up a following of thieves and gangsters (he's still got Aura and some training from Pyrrha, so he'll be more than effective against common thugs) due to the Kingdom being rife with roving gangs, and uses vehicles to roam the desert and pillage what they could while outrunning any Grimm they may have chasing them, and eventually having the numbers to basically form a mobile army. Boom: Fury Road! (or at least something like that)**

**Perseus12****: Already got an idea for their children: ****JxC****\- Azula (yes, like AtLA)- hair like her mom, eyes like her dad but glows similarly like her mom. Extremely powerful, unlocked Shikai (name should hint what it centers around). Will be coming up later. ****JxW****\- Juniper- named after a tree native to Southern France and his team name (seeing as Willow is a tree as well). White hair like her mom, blue eyes like her dad but can become like her mom's color if angered. Hasn't unlocked Shikai for reasons that will become apparent when she arrives. ****JxP****: Alexander (the Man who conquered Persia)- hair like his dad, eyes of his mom. Lean built, unlocked Shikai (mom's Pyrrha for heaven's sake). I try to make children following RWBY's character creation: similar to people found in real life/other media, but with their own flair and designs so that they are unique enough that no one sues RT.**

**WearyCurmudgeon****: Remnant does seem to be more advanced in some ways but not in others. I do agree that in some areas, we come out on top, which is why I had the Arcs use some of our tech along with others. Though Atlas does have laser turrets like the Beam Turret, which was developed by Atlas after the Fall of Beacon, and I think the Burrow Gun (I mean, I don't think it fires projectiles since I don't see a magazine showing and a barrel that big would need big bullets). But I don't know whether having bigger lasers is really worth it in their case. Penny can shoot lasers (which when combined can take out multiple Bullheads with a single shot), so I don't know why Atlas would bother with making bigger versions. Their only enemy at the moment are the Grimm; and they are the only Kingdom with an active military so what can big lasers really shoot down? Developing larger lasers seems like a waste when flack cannons can do the job more quickly and with less strain on their Dust reserves. It is cool that Earth is advancing though, the folding cellphone sounds awesome (and holograms are a thing apparently, with claims of people making hard light). I'm not sure whether the two created Aura or not, but I do think they created the Faunus since they have similar traits in their 'human' forms, and they seemed to just pop into existence with no evolutionary backing that explains how. My theory is that they were created by the idiots to test Humanity. To know whether the humans can live in peace with beings that look like them without physically being there to monitor their progress. Something that they failed at constantly with a Great War, Faunus Revolution, slavery, racism, and so on.**

**Now, on with the show!**

**Disclaimer in the prologue.**

**At the van, Finch and Jaune are seen carrying Winter out of the wreck. Jaune has the M-79 slung over his shoulder, a bandolier of grenades, and his .45 stuck in his waistband. Finch 'borrowed' a 12-gauge riot gun from the van.**

**The pickup they pass seconds earlier pulls up to them. The driver, a Hispanic guy in his 50's, is getting out to help them. Jaune and Finch hear a crash and look back as the helicopter wreckage is knocked aside by the accelerating tanker truck.**

**"Holy shit. Come on, Mom... we gotta keep moving... come on." Finch said.**

**Jaune looks to the pickup owner and says, "We need your truck."**

**The guy seems to know better than to try and stop him as Jaune slides Winter into the front seat and climbs in behind the wheel. Finch runs to the passenger side. (Roman: "Smart man.")**

**The tanker roars, spewing smoke from its chrome stacks as it shifts up through the gears.**

**Jaune slams the pickup in gear, checking the rear-view. The tanker is a hundred feet behind them now, and really moving. Jaune puts the throttle down, but the pickup is an old slug loaded down by a heavy home-made wooden camper-shell. It accelerates slowly.**

**The tanker slams into one end of the wrecked SWAT van, spinning it out of the way with a roar and screech of twisting metal. The 18-wheeler shifts to a higher gear, still accelerating.**

**With the tanker right behind them, Jaune cuts the wheel, swerving the pickup back and forth across the lanes. The big rig stays right on them, its tanker whiplashing violently.**

**"Faster! He's right on us!" Finch shouts to Jaune.**

**Jaune looking at the speedometer see's that it is going 60 miles per hour. "This is the vehicles top speed." He said.**

Winter and Qrow flinched at that.

The other heroes silently cursed at the van's slow speed, the villains wishing there was another car to escape in.

**The tractor-trailer whirls as it roars right up to the screen, filling the frame with chrome and lights. K-WHAM! It rams the backs of the pickup, sending it skidding. Then Cardin pulls the tractor trailer up alongside the pickup and crabs over, sandwiching it against the center divider. The spinning chrome hubs tear into the passenger side door and the guard rail screeches along the other side.**

**The pickup bucks and shakes insanely. It ricochets violently between the big-rig and the divider; a horrible screech erupts from the tortured steel, causing the Faunus to flinch. Sparks pour in sheets of fire from both sides. The windshield shatters as the door-posts buckle in. Metal and glass shower in through the side windows. The frame twists and buckles. Finch feels like the fillings in his teeth are being shaken right out.**

**The wooden camper disintegrates, falling away as kindling behind them.**

**Cardin holds the wheel hard over, mercilessly grinding the pickup. The whole rig jerks and shakes with the violence of the sustained hammering.**

**Jaune slides toward the passenger side. Keeping his foot on the gas he lifts Finch over him and puts him in the driver's seat.**

**"Drive a minute." Jaune said.**

**"Where you going?!" Finch said.**

"Yeah, where _you_ going?" Yang asks, raising an eyebrow. "He's in the middle of the highway. Unless he's willing to jump his toned ass onto oncoming traffic, I don't see how letting Finch drive is going to accomplish anything."

Meanwhile, Penny finally started to wake up from all the noise everyone was making.

**Jaune slams the shattered windshield with the palm of his hand. Held together by the plastic laminate, the windshield flops out of its frame. It flies over the top of the truck. Jaune pushes his upper body out over the dashboard and stands up. He turns and aims the M-79 one-handed. POOM! The grenade misses Cardin by less than a foot. It explodes against the front bulkhead of the tanker, almost at the top. Liquid nitrogen pours from the opening, swept back by the 60-mph Windstream.**

"Oh, now I get it." Yang nods with a grin, high-fiving Nora as they both cheered for Jaune to blow Cardin's ass for good. Both Blakes blushed at the wording they used for that.

The explosion did it, and Penny was fully awake. "What happened?" She sat up from her laying position with a groan, cutely rubbing her eyelids. "What's going on?" She looked at the car chase happening and deadpanned. "Seriously? _Another_ chase scene?"

She was distracted when Ruby yelled "Penny, you're alright!" and choked a bit as her friend clung to her neck a bit too tightly. "Why~?"

**The big-rig swerves as Cardin regains control. The tanker swings like a pendulum behind the cab. The pickup accelerates, getting back out in front by a few yards. Behind it the big-rig is trailing a swirling comet-tail of nitrogen vapor. Then it is gaining again.**

**Jaune, still standing, opens the breech and starts to reload. Finch cuts across the highway and takes an off ramp. Cardin swerves the smoking behemoth across the lanes and down the ramp after him, still accelerating. It is twenty feet behind them and closing when Jaune closes the breech and fires. The grenade hits the front grill and explodes. The radiator is destroyed, along with half the hood in the explosion. Steam blasts out, obscuring the whole front of the truck.**

As Nora and Yang cheered again, with Coco joining in, Terra hums, "The smoke is a great way to obscure one's vision, but I don't know if that would do much good against a machine."

Penny, after assuring Ruby that she was ok, replied to Terra's statement, "Actually, it's more effective than you would think." Seeing she got the woman's attention, she continued with "My previous sight was based off of 'cameras' for 'normal' vision when I was a gynoid, but could be switched to thermal vision for a more combat-ready level. And so far the Terminators have shown to have a red tinted vision overlaid with informatics concerning background data, potential dialog choices, and threat assessments." She smiles as the woman looks impressed at her. "As such, smoke can be extremely effective against them since the Terminators don't seem to be equipped with thermal vision."

The area became silent, before Terra hugged Saphron close to her and said, "You know, I wouldn't mind if Jaune picked you." Her sudden announcement had many gaping at her, mostly the other girls who have crushes on Jaune. "Oum knows _our_," she squeezed her pouting wife, "Arcs could use our smarts."

The girls with crushes gasped at that, 'No, I'm losing the war for Family Approval!', while Penny blushed as she beamed with happiness. Not feeling the weight of the glares, nor the look of betrayal from Ruby, she asked "Really?"

Terra nodded, "Oh yeah, and as a bonus, I get an intelligent and cute little sister!" She grinned as the younger woman fiddled with her skirt in slight embarrassment, but mostly happiness. "Oh, aren't you just precious!"

Saphron looked at her wife indignantly, "Wait, what about _my_ sisters?"

Terra grinned, "Oh they're cute too, buuut…" she laughed when Saphron punched her shoulder.

Penny was happy, 'Do I… Is this my chance to have a real b-b-boyfriend?' She blushed at the title, giggling as she swooned a bit. 'Ooh, this feeling is so _sensational_!' She looked at the different orbs laying around, and concluded that her chances were pretty high. "And from what I've seen thus far, Jaune would make a great boyfriend." She didn't know she said that out loud, not that she would've cared if she did.

James paled, not knowing how to deal with this. 'I don't know if Adrian would be happy that his little angel is thinking of such things so early in her development.' He blinked. 'Who am I kidding, he'd probably just be happy with the knowledge that his daughter is fully human now.'

Winter wanted to feel something negative towards Penny, but she just didn't have the heart to do so. 'Look at her, she looks so happy right now.' Some of the others felt the confliction too, knowing that the girl was made human just recently, and they couldn't hold it against her to pursue love so quickly.

Maria cooed at the girl, while holding Klein close. "Ah, young love~." Klein chuckled a bit with a nod.

After a bit, everyone settled back down, and the scene continued.

**The semi rams the back of the pickup again. Spewing smoke and vapor like some demon locomotive, the tractor-trailer pounds into the back of the pickup. Driving it right through the intersection at the bottom of the ramp, and straight toward an area of heavy industry.**

**The gates are blasted off their hinges as the semi rams the pickup right through them. Jaune struggles to reload amid the chaos and impacts. He has three grenades left on the bandolier. Finch isn't even steering anymore, they are just being pushed. There's nothing he can do. They are rocketing down the broad thoroughfare which leads directly to the main building of the plant. Jaune pulls himself onto the roof of the pickup. He leaps to the bed, takes two powerful strides and Leaps onto the semi. He climbs rapidly onto the hood, and fires point blank through the windshield. Right into Cardin's face.**

Velvet laughed at the impact, taking delight in Cardin's face deforming like that. She knew that it probably didn't do any good in the long run, but the sight made her feel better.

Yang just shouted how awesome that was, prompting her dad to tell her that he doesn't want her to even think of doing a stunt like that or else she'd be grounded 'till she reached 60.

Penny grinned, "Yes! Take that, you sorry excuse for an android!"

**The explosion blows out all the glass and fills the cab with smoke and fire. Jaune grabs onto the wheel and jerks it with all his might. As the truck starts to shudder, in an almost dream-slow motion, the cab begins to swing sideways, until its tires are shrieking over the pavement. The tractor is smashed back at right-angles to the tanker-trailer which begins to slide broadside. The juggernaut bucks and shudders as the tires and smoke sideways across the pavement. It begins to topple. Jaune hold on as the side of cab becomes the top. With an unholy scream, like the unoiled hubs of Hell, the whole rig slides on its side at 60 mph toward the steel mill. A sheet of sparks sixty feet wide trails behind it on the pavement.**

**Finch sees what's behind him, then snaps around to see the building looming right in front. The huge rolling doors are partly open. No choice. He steers right through them into the mill, as Jaune, with one second to go, leaps from the cab. He flies through the open doors as the tanker hits the building. Jaune slams to the floor of the mill and rolls, as the tanker-trailer smashed into a massive concrete support at one side of the doors. A thunderous carnage of twisting metal splits it wide open. A river of liquid nitrogen pours out at -230.**

Everyone blinked in surprise at just how cold the liquid actually was.

**Finch hits the brakes, sliding out of control. He slows almost to a stop but hits a steel support column head-on. He and Winter are slammed forward, hard.**

**Jaune, still clutching the M-79 blooper, rolls and slides across the floor. He smashes through a railing and slams up against the base of a massive machine.**

**The semi cab swings about the trailer wreckage, into the building, and shudders to a stop. Liquid nitrogen sprays over the cab, flooding out around it in a hissing wave front of ultracold. Freezing vapor swirls everywhere, obscuring the wreck.**

**Jaune lies still. A beat. Then he rolls weakly, rising on one elbow to survey the scene. (Nora: "He lives!")**

**In the wrecked pickup, Finch stirs. He is stunned, and blood is running down his nose. Dazed, he realizes that he's in a steel mill. There are sirens, and he can see men running... shouting. He turns and sees what they are running from...**

**The wall of nitrogen vapor spreads from the demolished tanker. It is a strange vista of fire and ice. The huge smelters pour out orange light and fire from the sides of the huge galley, while the freezing vapor rolls down the center.**

**Tight on the wreck, a billowing gray clouds the vapor. Deep inside, the shape of the cab is visible. A figure emerges, pulling itself out. It drops to the floor. The hissing, boiling river of liquid nitrogen flows around its feet.**

Many of the people gasped, not expecting the machine to fall down like that. They never saw the thing do so before any other time it got hurt. 'Did something finally damage it?' They grew giddy, wondering what happened to finally slow down this seemingly unstoppable killing machine.

**Cardin staggers, moving slowly, painfully. It has finally been affected by something. Its feet are freezing to the ground as it walks. CLINK! One of its feet breaks off at a glassy angle.**

"H-How?" James asked, "How did-" He remembered the liquid, and how cold it was. "The liquid." He whispers as a grin started to grow.

Nora cheered as the robot Cardin kept losing parts of itself, with Yang and Coco soon joining. Velvet was the loudest though.

**It stumbles forward, and its other foot snaps off. As it catches its balance on the stump of its other ankle, the whole lower leg shatters at the impact. It topples forward to its knees. It manages to catch itself on one hand, liquid nitrogen flowing around the appendage. Now the hand is stuck to the pavement. Cardin pulls and... CLINK! The hand snaps off at the wrist. It looks stupidly at the glassy stump of a wrist. For the first time we see an expression on its face everyone knows to be a true one... Pain. Agony. Its mouth opens in a soundless scream as the hoar-frost races up its legs, across its body. And that's the position it freezes in. It has become a statue, kneeling in the frozen vapor, that surprised look of agony frozen on its face.**

"Hahahaha!" Velvet, sweet innocent Velvet, _cackled_ at the face of agony on her bully's face as she grabbed her partner's scroll to take a few photos for keepsakes.

Coco just grinned, especially when Velvet let her inner sadist out.

Penny was over the moon. Seeing the machine who had killed so many people so brutally show such pain felt like justice for the innocent. 'How does it feel? To be the one who's in pain for a change?' She took a deep breath, knowing that soon this nightmare would come to an end.

Eve was confused by her fellow Faunus's behavior, but chalked it up to either her being insane, or there is a version of the machine in their world that is racist. 'Most likely both.' Either way, she has a new person on her _list_.

Back in their own universe, Cardin felt a shiver of fear crawling up his spine. 'Why does it feel like someone's dancing over my grave?'

**The liquid nitrogen stops flowing and begins to evaporate. Jaune, just beyond the boundary of the cold, can see Cardin clearly. He draws his .45 and aims.**

**"Hasta la vista, baby." Jaune said. K-POW! The single shot blows Cardin into a million diamonds spraying up into the air.**

Yang fist pumped, "That's another awesome one-liner!" She pulled out her scroll. "I gotta start making a list of these so I don't forget!"

Coco took her own scroll back from a now pouting Velvet who was recording that, "Way ahead of you, Yang!"

**They shimmer across the ground for twenty feet in all directions. Jaune lowers the gun, satisfied. He looks like he needs a vacation.**

**Finch and Winter have seen it from the pickup. She is in bad shape, conscious but very weak. He tries the door. It's jammed. He kicks it open.**

Winter was just glad that her other was still alive after that stunt Jaune pulled.

**"Okay, Mom, we gotta get out now, come on. That's it." Finch said.**

**He helps her slide down from the seat of the truck. Her knees give way, so he had to take a lot of her weight for support. He reaches in and picks up the riot gun off the seat. They hobble toward Jaune. On his knees, he looks into the dissipating cloud of vapor. The heat of the furnaces has evaporated all the liquid nitrogen.**

The heroes were cheering at the scene. A few asking for some refreshments to celebrate.

**The T-1000 shards are melting, liquefying. Hundreds of drops of mercury spattered across the floor. Orange light from the enormous black furnaces dances on liquid metal.**

**Jaune struggles to rise. some leg-servos are damaged. He can barely stand. Finch and Winter arrive.**

A few winced at Jaune's battered form, but took solace in the fact that his role as Finch's protector would soon come to an end.

Roman raised a cup of apple juice to toast, "Woah, take it easy there, Tinman. It's nothing but smooth sailing after this." He chuckled as a few others nodded, agreeing that with the T-1000 dead and scattered, nothing can stop the group from stopping Judgement Day.

**"We don't have much time." Jaune said.**

**"What?" Finch asked.**

"Wait what?" Sienna asked as she and the others stopped in their celebrations in response to what Jaune said.

**Jaune points. Finch and Winter watch as the T-1000 droplets are creeping together. Fusing into larger blobs. These pools shiver and run together, soon forming a central mass.**

**Finch and Winter pale, realizing that it's not over.**

**"Come on! Let's go!" Finch said.**

Yang gaped, "Are you kidding me?!" she shouts as the others dropped back to their seats in shock.

Nora gripped her hair in frustration, "_Blowing_ it to pieces doesn't work, _freezing_ it doesn't work! Just _how_ do you stop this thing?!"

The others paled. They didn't think the Terminator survived that. If it could reform after being blown to hell, then how does one stop it?

Penny on the other hand, narrowed her eyes. Ignoring the shouts of the others, she looked around the group's surroundings. 'Let's see, they're in an industrial zone, and there's active furnaces around them. That means that there's cauldrons filled with melted metals to potentially use.' She glared at the T-1000. 'If extreme cold has an effect on it, even if it's only pain, then I wonder how it would fare against extreme heat…' She grinned, thinking of an idea that just might work.

**Jaune gets one of Winter's arms over his shoulder and they go. Behind them, something is moving. A head is forming up out of a pool mercury (Garnet: "And hello, nightmare fuel."). It rises, as shoulders begin to form, hunching up from the liquid mass. Half-formed, it turns to look straight at them.**

The children shivered, not liking the form the machine was currently.

**Finch looks back in new terror as the T-1000 rises to man-height. It is still in its mercury form, but its features are forming rapidly. It takes its first step after them. Winter stumbles and they pull her up. Jaune himself has a pronounces limp, dragging one leg with a shattered ankle joint. Finch is the one pulling, straining, driving them forward.**

Seeing how beat up the two are, the heroes feared their chances of survival.

**The T-1000 steps into frame, fully formed into that of Cardin. The hell-fire light glints on its impassive cop face. It walks forward. At first it seems unaffected by its crystallization (Nora: "Hax! I call Hax!").**

**But as it touches a railing in passing, the railing that is covered with O.S.H.A., yellow-and-black safety tape, the hand turns yellow and black, the color fading to normal by about the elbow. It looks down at his hand, and with narrowed eyes, rips the hand from the railing with difficulty. There is a sound like adhesive tape ripping off the surface. Cardin looks at its yellow-and-black striped hand. It wills the hand back to normal. The audience can see ripples of "static" or system noise moving subtly over the surface of its body. It's starting to "glitch".**

Salem blinked, wondering what they just saw. Hazel rubbed his chin, "I guess being blown up _did_ leave some damage after all."

The heroes breathed a sigh of relief. Sure, Cardin was still chasing after the three, but with it damaged like Winter and Jaune, they felt the group's chances improved a bit.

**They move around another corner into a maze of monstrous machinery. The heat is tremendous, the two humans already sweating. The air shivers with a pounding roar.**

**Winter cries out in pain and stumbles again.**

**"Come on, Mom, you can do it! Come on!" Finch said.**

**They drag her up, and stagger on. Her leg is bathed in blood and she is deathly pale.**

James looked on in sadness, memories of soldiers bleeding out under his command coming to him as he sees Winter so close to death.

The Schnee's were worried. Winter didn't like seeing her other losing so much blood, their son still needed her. Whitley and Weiss never saw their strong sister brought so low before. And Willow teared up at her daughter so hurt.

Klein's back stiffened, and started to breath heavily. Maria hugged him close in an effort to help.

Weiss' friends wanted to help too, but didn't know how in this case.

Eve felt conflicted. On one hand, she got to see a Schnee dying. On the other, _this_ Schnee was inconsequential to the SDC. 'And I suppose being the mother to the savior of my race counts for something.' The fact that it was a _human_, let alone one of Schnee blood, who was the savior of Faunus kind greatly pissed her off.

**Tracking with Cardin's feet. The people could see that with each step, the pattern on the tile floor "invades" its lower legs, fading as the foot is lifted and returns as it is set down. Its feet are trying to meld with the floor. The chameleonic function is out of control, Cardin is losing it. It moves forward, searching. It rounds the corner, entering the aisle between the furnaces.**

Penny grinned. "Good. With its ability to shapeshift now gone, it has no way to trick the others." She said.

Ruby nods, " Yeah, and it's slower now that its ability is working against it."

**Jaune sees a silhouette closing on them through the smoky gleam. The T-1000 breaks into a loping run when it sees them, Jaune turns to Winter over with Finch.**

**"Keep going." Jaune said.**

**Finch shakes his head no. "No, we got to stick together."**

Winter and James smiled at the boy's resolve to leave no one behind.

**The T-1000 is almost on them.**

**"Finch, you got to go now. GO!" Jaune said.**

Jaune's friends and family hoped that he is strong enough to hold Cardin off.

**Finch runs, dragging, half-carrying Winter as best he can. She can barely stay conscious.**

**Jaune looks back and prepares himself for battle. He slowly moves forward, cautiously, his eyes scanning for the hostile. Suddenly from the shadows Cardin smacks the weapon out of his hands. It clatters on the floor and off the hallway before landing on a platform. Jaune lunges, slamming the T-1000 against a wall with all his weight.**

Lucy and her sisters cheered their papa on, hoping that he would win. Meanwhile Robin shouted, "Kick that asshole's ass dad!" with Altani trying to reprimand her for her language.

Yang yelled "No mercy, Jaune!" at the same time as Nora shouted, "Break his legs, big brother!"

The other students cheered him on as well. Both Blakes even waved small signs that had the face of Jaune printed on them, with Chibi-Jaune's face for Chibi-Blake's sign.

**Meanwhile, Finch and Winter had just reached the back of the aisle. It is a cul-de-sac, blocked on the end by the base of an immense smelter crucible. They turn to watch the titans battle in silhouette, backlit by the molten sparks falling from the furnaces above.**

**Jaune grabs Cardin and hurls it with incredible force against the opposite wall of the narrow alley.**

Despite knowing him to be bad, a few of the heroes winced at the impact Cardin made, seeing the indent on the metal. "Ow." Ozpin mutters.

**In less time than it would take to turn, Cardin morphs through itself, front to back... face emerging from the back of its head.**

And now they didn't care anymore. Penny's eye twitched a bit in jealousy at the advanced machine.

The other students felt creeped out by the move, shivering a bit in disgust from the sounds it made.

**Cardin comes off the wall straight at Jaune, who smashes his good fist into its face. The pile-driver blow buries Jaune's fist almost to the elbow.**

**But Cardin's head morphs in a split-second into a hand which grip Jaune's wrist, and the head "emerges" somewhere else, the geometry shifting faster than the audience could follow.**

"That's just wrong." Emerald says, holding her children close as Mercury and Cinder felt a bit sick at the image.

**Cardin slams Jaune into a large machine, jamming his arm into the moving works. A massive sliding bar scissors his arm, smashing it into junk at the elbow, pinning him in the machine.**

Yang winced, and held her own arm as she felt some sort of phantom pain seeing that. 'Ow, the hell was that?'

"Oh no, Jaune!" Penny shouts as she sees her new crush pinned down.

Saphron gasped at her brother having his arm crushed by the gears. Terra holding her hand in support as she sees her wife's distraught face.

Winter grippes the sides of her seat in worry, knowing that with Jaune out of the fight, then nothing would stop the Terminator from completing its mission.

**Jaune strains against the machine pinning him. The audience winces as they hear the arm's servos whining in overload. The T-1000 smirks, then turns around and heads in search for Winter and Finch (Yang: "Even as a machine, Cardin's still a prick!"). Jaune strains to reach a 6-foot steel bar lying near him.**

Weiss scratched her head, "Why is there a bar there anyway?"

Penny, whilst stilling looking at the screen, says "Steel workers use them to move red-hot ingots around."

The heiress blinks, then nods. "I suppose that makes sense."

**He gets hold of the end and uses it as a lever. With titanic effort he spreads the massive components which are holding him, and withdraws him arm, which is severed at the elbow, dangling junk hangs from the crushed joint.**

Penny shivers as she sees the bits hanging off his arm. That was like seeing flesh sticking to bone after escaping a meatgrinder for her.

**Winter, seeing Cardin behind them, cursed and hurls Finch into a gap between the machines. He falls into a maze of pipes and girders. Finch turns to see her in the entrance of the narrow gap. She could follow him, but she doesn't. Suddenly a dark mass moves towards him. Finch gasps as a huge steel counterweight, driven by a chain 6 inches thick, slides toward him. He rolls out of the way, but when he looks back, he cannot see the opening.**

**"Mom! MOMMM!" Finch shouted.**

"Oh no!" Ruby places her hands over her mouth as she stifles a gasp.

**Winter has lost sight of Finch. It is much of a goodbye as they will have. She turns as Cardin closes in on her. She is half-slumped against the sooty machines, looking barely conscious. She struggles to load a shell into the empty weapon. At the last instant she whips up the riot gun and fires.**

James and Penny gave a small salute for the mother's sacrifice.

The parents held their children, knowing that they would do the same to protect their angels.

**Cardin's face is blown open, but quickly reforms as it closes on her. She fumbles to get another shell into the magazine but -THUNK! A steel needle slams through her shoulder, pinning her to the metal behind her and causing Winter's family to gasp in horror. The polymorphic killer cocks back its other hand. The index finger extends as a gleaming needle towards her eye.**

**"Call to Finch now." Cardin demanded.**

**"Fuck you." Winter said.**

Winter nods, narrowing her eyes towards the machine for even _thinking_ that she'd surrender her child to the thing. Her family clinging to her after they gasped, much to her slight embarrassment- 'I really don't know how I should feel at Whitley clinging to me'- as they felt her other was going to die now.

Maria scoffed. "Dumbass," she said as she tried to calm Klein down again, "why would she do that when she clearly intended to buy her kid time to escape?"

Penny glared, not just for the threat he made, but because he didn't piece together the mother's plan like she did. 'Apparently this T-1000 isn't as intelligent as I presumed.' For some reason, that made her feel a bit better. (1)

Everyone expected for the Terminator to just kill her, when-

**WHAM! Something whistles down on Cardin with such force that is cleaves it head and body in two down to the naval. A 6-foot steel bar is seen imbedded in its body.**

Everyone jumps in surprise. "Holy shit!" Coco, Yang, and Neo shouts as they tried to calm their rapidly beating hearts.

As the two pieces separated, they could see Jaune there, one arm gone, and glaring with determination.

Weiss, Whitley, and Willow silently thanked any god who would listen for the timely save.

Klein thanked the heavens for the young man's arrival.

**Cardin, reacting to the strike, kicks Jaune away from him. He then turns around, pulls the steel shaft out of itself and attacks Jaune with surprising fury. Swinging again and again, he's hammering Jaune's back. From the continued assault, Jaune falls back against the wall.**

Every strike had the children wincing back. Robin and Altani making death threats towards the evil machine for hurting their dad.

**Behind Cardin is an enormous I-beam, hanging from two chains and used to lift ingots into the smelters. From what the audience could see, it runs on a linear track.**

**Cardin grabs the I-beam and rolls it down the track. Straight at Jaune. The two-ton girder smashes into his chest, crushing the armor. Everyone flinched at the sound of metal crushing and breaking inside him.**

**Jaune tries to grip the wall, but as he turns around...**

**The second blow slams into his back, smashing his spine and pelvis. We hear servos ratcheting and failing. He drops to his knees, crucified on a wall of machinery.**

Many people threw up at the noise, thinking of how much suffering they, without Aura, would be under if they were subjected to what Jaune is now. 'I think my body would've shut down after the first blow.'

**The last blow was centered between his shoulder blades, with more sound of crushing metal being heard. They could see his skull partially caved in. He soon slides to the floor, his body can't take much more.**

As he slides down, the heroes could only tear up.

Ozpin bows his head. "It's over, he's done." He whispers. He knows that the body can only take so much before finally succumbing to the pain; and even though Jaune's a machine, the sound of crushing metal is proof that he can't go on.

Lucy clung to her mom as she cried, her sisters doing the same. 'I wish I could do something.' She grips Neo's sleeve tighter as she glares hatefully at the image. 'If I _ever_ see that person…' She blinks hard, doing her best to memorize the facial features through her tears. 'I will do to him what dad did to that investor. He. Will. _Burn_.' As she made her promise, her eyes turned red with the whites of her eyes bleeding black. Then she blinked again, and the changes were gone. (2)

**Cardin, emotionless, walks forward.**

**Jaune is a pathetic shape on the floor. He is trying to crawl, feebly. Dragging his malfunctioning legs behind the crushed spine. His arm stump screeches on the tile floor as he inches himself forward. His exposed machine eye burns red with determination within the exposed skeletal machinery.**

**The screen pans out a bit to show his prize. He has the M-79, fully loaded, in his sight.**

Penny and the other students cried as they saw that despite his injuries, he's still willing to continue the fight.

Pyrrha smiled a bit as she wipes her tears away. "That's just like Jaune, he never gives up." Her friends nodded.

Oz smiles a bit in pride, seeing a glimpse of his younger self in Mr. Arc. 'I was just as strongheaded at that age, when I went by Ozma.' He sighed, thinking of the good and the bad times during that age.

Salem smiled too, seeing the same as Oz did.

Winter looks on sadly. 'His determination is truly inspiring. Program or not, this man is determined to keep my son safe.' She sighs, 'I truly wish Finch was yours too.'

**His metal fingers reach out for it as Cardin raises the heavy steel bar over his head and stabs it down with unbelievable force.**

**It punches into Jaune's back, through a gap in the shattered armor. Cardin levers it back and forth, widening the hole. Then it raises the pointed bar again and slams it down. It punches right through, emerging from Jaune's chest, and into the floor. He is pinned down.**

"No." Ruby whispers, as she felt her heart shatter.

The children could only hold onto their moms as they begged for their papa to get back up, to fight the evil machine and save the boy.

**Jaune sags face down and slowly stops moving, the red light slowly going out of his eye.**

Jaune's family cried, turning away to no longer see his death.

His friends looked down in sadness. It was like watching Soldier Jaune all over again.

Winter and James snapped a salute, tears in their eyes, as did the other adults. Even Raven and Vernal did so, if only to hide their own tears.

Mercury and Hazel bowed their head in respect, while Roman tipped his hat. The latter feeling like shit after the whole toast thing he did earlier.

Tyrian sighed in disappointment. He hoped this version of his boy would survive.

Salem and Oz felt terrible. For Salem it was like watching her love die again, while Oz could only think of all the people he had led to their deaths in his pursuit to complete his damned mission.

**Winter, still on the walkway, slowly but surely begins to reload the shotgun to its max. She is on the lookout for Cardin.**

**The screen goes back to Jaune to see his unmoving body (Yang: "Why are we seeing this, he's already dead!"). Within his robotic eye, the light slowly comes back.**

Yang was pissed, seeing Jaune's body after they saw his death so soon made her and her friends mad at the screen. Then they saw the light slowly coming back, and they all gasped in wonder and hope.

**From Jaune's perspective, they could see that a secondary power unit was coming online and running. Jaune looks around with a raised eyebrow, before remembering what was happening. He grabs the beam from underneath him and begins pulling downward to release himself. Now done with that, he grabs the M-79 and slowly brings it to himself.**

"He's alive." It started out as a whisper from Nora, but once she saw Jaune beginning to move, she grinned in joy and jumped from her seat. "He's alive!"

After she shouted that, the others started cheering. That was enough to get his family to look back at the screen, and seeing that they were right, the children began cheering while Saphron hugged Terra tight as she cried out, "By the Pillars, he's really alive!"

Maria chuckled as she playfully bonked the side her head with a grin, "I forgot, never underestimate an Arc."

Oz and Salem breathed a sigh of relief.

Jack, deciding they needed this, paused the viewing for a bit. After seeing everyone calmed down, he continued.

**Above Finch, vast machines churn untended. He hears a voice... Winter's calling low and urgent to him. "Finch? Finch? Can you hear me? Where are you?" Winter said.**

**He crawls out of the shadows and onto a landing next to one of the smelter crucibles. Molten steel glows a bright orange in the crucible of the furnace. Heat shimmers the air, giving everything a hallucinatory quality. Finch sees Winter nearby, limping toward him. She can barely move, her leg bathed in blood. He runs toward her.**

Whitley narrowed his eyes. "Wait, where did Winter get that injury, wasn't she only," he paused to gulp nervously, "_stabbed_ in the shoulder?" He tilted his head, "And where is her weapon?"

After he pointed that out, everyone narrowed their eyes, feeling like something was wrong with that picture.

**Gasping in pain, Winter said "Help me, honey."**

Nora gasped, and stood up from her chair as she points to the screen. "That's not the real Winter! She would _never_ call her son such a sweet nickname."

Winter felt like she was slapped in the face, especially when her sweet younger sister nodded in agreement! 'Though I suppose I can't deny that my other never did call our son any endearing names throughout this viewing.'

She bowed her head in shame, though that went away when Qrow decided to laugh at the girl's declaration. 'Perhaps another _kick_ should calm him down.'

**Tight on Winter, her stoic face as she hobbles forward, reaching out to him. Something rises behind her, out of focus. Another, identical Winter... but this one has a shotgun.**

**Aimed right at the screen.**

"Oh, there she is!" Nora shouts as she sits back down after some prompting from Ren.

Winter sighed in relief- 'I've been doing that a lot lately'- as she sees her real other about to save their son.

**Finch freezes. 'Which is which?' He looks down. The first Winter's feet are melded with the floor, sucking and fusing with the tiles as she walks. They have the color and pattern of the tiles up to the knee.**

"Well, there's your proof." Roman points to the screen as the others nod.

**"Finch, get out of the way!" Winter said.**

**"SHOOT!" Finch shouted.**

**Finch dives aside. The Winter-form spins, quickly changing back into Cardin. Winter starts unloading the shotgun into it. BOOM! It staggers back. K-CHAK. She chambers another round. BOOM! It staggers again. K-CHAK. BOOM! And again. And again. Cardin is blown back a step as Winter advances with each shot. The craters in Cardin's body "heal" slowly. Its power is waning. She fires again. And again. Her eyes blazing with feral intensity. She walks it back, right to the edge of the pit of molten steel.**

With every shot, the heroes cheered.

Cinder smirked as she sees where the ledge leads to. "Checkmate."

Penny noticed too, and smiled as she sees her idea coming to fruition.

**K-CHAK... CLICK. She looks down at her gun in horror. She's empty. And Cardin is right at the edge. In a second it will recover its composure, as its crater hits slowly closes. She has failed.**

**Cardin now healed, slowly lifts a finger and waves it left and right as if to say "no no no".**

"Still a prick." Yang says with narrowed eyes as everyone grew worried again.

"Damnit, so close!" Tai growled, not liking the condescending attitude the Terminator had after escaping death. 'Yang's right, this guy's a total prick.'

Penny slams her hand on an armrest, angry that they were so close to getting rid of the machine, only to fail at the very end. 'This is so frustrating!' She glared as Cardin waves his finger. 'Yang is correct, this android is indeed a prick.' She blushed a bit, wondering how her father would feel if he knew what she just thought.

**Knowing it will kill them both, they turn around to try to escape. They take a few steps forward only to stop.**

**Coming out of the smoke, the two sees Jaune, riding up a gear, as he aims his launcher carefully. Finch and Winter dive to the ground. Jaune, with his half human flesh, half chrome steel showing, his red eye gazing right at the audience, fires.**

**Cardin takes the round in the belly. Looking at the impact, Cardin looks up in shock. The grenade then explodes inside its body. A huge hole is blown clean through it, and it is ripped open and peeled back, half inside-out. Warped.**

The people cheered, while Velvet quickly takes a picture of Cardin's face before detonation as she laughs.

**The thing pauses, as if it couldn't comprehend its predicament. It then groans a bit, sounding like tearing metal coming from its lips. Finally, after taking too much damage, it topples into the molten steel.**

Penny jumps into the air with a fist pump. "Woohoo!" She then sits back down as she blushes in embarrassment.

Terra grins and leans over to her wife. "Definitely a good match for Jaune." Saphron nods as she giggles, causing Penny's blush to worsen as the other girls with crushes glare at the poor girl.

**Cardin's head and upper body reappears above the molten steel with a scream. A terrifying, inhuman siren of a scream, causing more than a few to hug themselves in fear. It then starts changing. Morphing. Transforming into anything and everything it's ever been so rapidly the eye can barely follow it. The audience catches a glimpse of Cinder checkered with the linoleum tile colors. Lewis the Guard, with knives exploding from his face. Then to other faces, switching at a stroboscopic rate now... a different face every two seconds trying to rip free from the main mass until they all merge into one face. Cardin screams and slips beneath the surface of the molten steel, liquid silver running in dissipating whorls over the superheated surface... until it vanishes, swirling into nothing.**

The audience is silent, terrified over what they just saw. Their faces all pale.

Qrow got up and went to Penny, quickly grabbing his flask back and taking a huge gulp of the liquid in an effort to forget the nightmare fuel he just endured watching. Only to curse up a storm when he couldn't feel a buzz.

That broke the spell, and everyone turned around to lean over the back of their seats and threw up in unison.

Jack sighed, allowing his little droid to clean up the mess again. When everyone was ok, by the loosest definition anyway, he let the screen continue.

**Finch runs to Winter, with her leaning over the ledge and staring into the pit (Weiss: "Please step away from the ledge."). The empty shotgun slips from her fingers and clatters to the floor. He sees that she's okay and he runs to the fallen Jaune.**

**The crippled cyborg is trying to rise. His servos whine and stutter. He, rather pathetically, lifts himself to a kneeling position, collapses... and tries again. Finch helps lift him up for all he's worth.**

Winter smiles, "Such a good boy." She whispers as she nurses a cup with ginger tea.

**"Get up. Come on." Finch said as he helps the crippled machine get on its feet. He can barely stand.**

**"Holy shit." Finch said as he saw badly messed up Jaune look in his current condition.**

**Jaune now finally composed, simply said "I need a vacation."**

Yang and Nora laughs, and soon the other heroes join in. The tension finally leaves, and they can all breath easily again.

"Man, it'll all be over soon." Ruby says, as her friends nod in happiness.

Though Penny doesn't. She instead frowns as her mind comes up with a different outcome than the others. She looks down at her teacup, the tea's reflection of her looking back as she sighs in sadness. 'It's over now, but there' still one more thing to do.' She looks back up to her cheering friends and the happy children. 'And it will destroy them.' A single tear runs down her face.

**They walk to the edge of the pit. Jaune looks down and sees that it is over.**

**Finch looks to Jaune and asks, "Is it dead?"**

**"Terminated." Jaune answers with a nod.**

**Finch unzips Winter's backpack and takes out the hand of the first Terminator.**

**"Will it melt in there?" Finch asked.**

**"Yes. Throw it in." Jaune said.**

**He does. It sinks into the lava, vanishing into the liquid.**

**"And the chip." Jaune said.**

**Finch takes it out of his pocket. He looks at it, then tosses it into the smelter.**

**"It's finally over." Winter said in relief.**

The heroes smiled.

"It's over." Tai sighs as he sags into his seat in relief. His friends nodding as they relax.

**"No." Jaune said.**

Oz and the others straighten their spines in alert, wondering and dreading if they missed something.

Qrow groans, "Please tell me it's not another Terminator."

Glynda shakes her head. "Impossible, Skynet only sent the one Terminator back in time."

Penny sniffled, catching the attention of Ruby and Winter. "Penny, what's wrong?" Ruby asks, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.

She shakes her head, not wanting to answer her friend.

Winter goes over to her. "Penny, what is it?" Their questions getting the attention of everyone else.

Penny bites her bottom lip, then looks up with sad eyes. "Skynet…" She tears up a bit, worrying Ruby and Winter as the others listen in. "Skynet wasn't the only one to send a Terminator."

**Winter turns to look at Jaune as he slowly turns to look at her. "There is one more chip." Jaune said.**

**He touches a metal finger to the side of his head. "And it must be destroyed also."**

At that, everyone gasps.

Weiss shakes her head, whispering "No" over and over.

Yang and the two Blakes tear up as they all realized what Penny meant.

Jaune's children cried harder as they clung to their moms again, even Robin and Altani weren't immune to the devastating feelings of despair.

**Jaune turns to a mechanism and hands it to Winter. It's a control that lifts and lowers objects. "Here, I cannot self-Terminate. You must lower me into the smelter."**

**Finch suddenly understands what he means. Jaune looks at Winter. They both know what must be done. Finch shakes his head.**

**"No." Finch said.**

**"I'm sorry, Finch. I'm sorry." Jaune apologized.**

**"No, no no! It'll be OK. Stay with us! It'll be OK." Finch exclaimed.**

Winter cries. 'It's not fair. And he had just wormed into Finch's heart.' She saw how her son saw Jaune. In his young mind, Jaune _is_ his father. And now, the father that Finch so desperately wanted and needed is about to die by her other's hands. 'It's not fair.'

The parents went to hold their children close again, wishing that there was another way. But they knew that so long as Jaune lived on, Judgment Day would always be inevitable.

**"I have to go away, Finch." Jaune said.**

**"Don't do it. Please... don't go." Finch said as the tears are streaming down his face.**

**Tight closeup on Jaune, turning toward Finch. The human side of his face is in shadow, so he mostly sees the chrome skull and the red eye.**

**"It must end here... or I am the future." Jaune said.**

**"I order you not to!" Finch said.**

Winter felt like her heart was breaking. Her baby boy's order, plea, it hurt. "Why couldn't there be another way?" She whispers, looking at her son's tearful expression.

**Jaune puts his hand on Finch's shoulder. He moves slightly and the human side of his face comes into the light. He reaches toward Finch's face. His metal finger touches the tear trickling down his cheek.**

**"I know now why you cry, but it is something I can never do." Jaune says in a sad tone.**

That sentence was like a punch to the gut for many of them. Even the more heartless of the villains couldn't help a tears leaking out; proving that as bad as they were, they could still cry.

**Winter looks at Jaune. Reaches out her hand to shake it. They lock eyes. Warriors. Comrades.**

**"Are you afraid?" Winter questioned Jaune.**

**"Yes." Jaune answered. For the first time ever, he felt afraid.**

Ren hugs a devastated Nora, looking at the screen. "Fear. Such a human emotion." He looks down as he clenches his eyes shut. "Why does my brother's first emotion in this universe have to be such a negative one?"

**He turns and steps off the edge, onto the chain.**

**"Goodbye." Jaune said.**

**Winter pushes the button and they watch him sink slowly into the lava. He slowly disappears...his head, arm, and the metal hand sinking last... and at the last second it forms into a fist with the thumb extended... a final thumbs up. Then it is gone.**

Penny bows her head, hoping that Jaune would find some measure of peace in the beyond.

The children couldn't help but throw a thumbs up back. One of the first lessons Finch taught their dad to become human. To them, it felt an appropriate sendoff.

**Finch and Winter, watching through the heat ripples. Winter then hugs a mourning Finch as she thinks on this.**

**The screen then changes to that of pavement rushing at us, lit by headlights. Beyond, darkness. Then Winter's voice is heard one last time.**

"_**The unknown future moves toward us. I face it for the first time with a sense of hope. Because if a machine, a Terminator, can learn the value of human life… maybe we can too."**_

As the screen darkens, and the orb come out, no one said a word. They all mourned the loss of a person created as a machine, but in the end died as a Human.

**END**

**Whew, finally done! Man, that took a while. This last part really hurt to write, the heartache. RIP T-Jaune, may you find peace.**

**Now before I end this, I do need to point something out. For some reason, I can't seem to read any new reviews after the 25th. Don't know why, but I can't (used my phone to see what your reviews were about, but that failed), so for those who reviewed after that date, I do apologize for not answering back but it's not my fault. Hopefully, I'll be able to see them after this chapter is posted. Now, if you guys are hoping for a chipper chapter next, boy are you gonna be disappointed. Prepare your tears, for we are gonna kill your feelings with "The Kelvin Incident", by hazeleyes180!**

**1\. No one likes the feeling of being replaced; and Penny, though an advanced gynoid, falls a bit behind in comparison to the T-1000 and later T-X models. She feels better knowing that despite how advanced the infiltrator is, it still has a few bugs to work out... Though it **_**is**_** still a prototype, and it **_**was**_** malfunctioning by that point... Best not to burst her bubble, let her have her moment.**

**2\. Oh dear, looks like the Blood of the Arcs is manifesting inside little Lucy. What could this mean? Nothing good, that's what.**


	29. The Kelvin Incident Pt 1

**Chapter 28: "The Kelvin Incident" Pt. 1**

**Ok, so looks like I can finally see my reviews again, huzzah! Speaking of which, reviews!**

**Guest****: I've already done a ff reaction, chapter 12 (which I really do need to change the name of).**

**Perseus D. Uzumaki: Getting help with Destiny, working on Halo Reach, and I was thinking of doing the game Overlord. Could have a lot of fun replacing the 'heroes' with the RWBY crew.**

**TheBioshockRwbyFan4life****: Oh, I loved that movie!**

**sammykordy10****: SAO Abridged and DBZ Abridged.**

**Lonely Boy****: Thank you for the support. And it's cool, suggestions are always welcomed. I do think having Jaune fall in love with a female version is a bit out there though. It's not that it's really weird, but because I have a **_**lot**_** of people I'm planning to introduce soon, and I have no way of seeing how that could even be possible. Can't seem to find the first example, but I remember the second one was pretty funny.**

**TermaGamer****: Not a fan of Fortnight. Had a roommate who used to play it constantly. Now, that's not the reason for why I hate the game, the reason was because he kept cursing up a storm and beating the wall next to him every time he dies (which was literally all the time) while I tried to study. He would then curse and call the people incredibly offensive words despite him not being good at the game to begin with (he constantly tried to create a ramp without walls for protection and gets sniped, never got very far up). I also know that this game is highly competitive, and not great for people with even small tempers. Case and point: one time my roommate was the second one to die in a matchup, and he threw his controller at his tv, shattering the screen. So yeah, not touching that.**

**keybladelight****: I'm sorry, but I can't.**

**Nemonobody001****: Well, I do have an early draft for Jumanji. I haven't watched most of what you suggested. The only one from the list I watched was White Castle, and I hated that movie.**

**Drakon****: I did not, and those are pretty interesting ideas. The problem is that there isn't really many people willing to fight against the Arcs. On the one hand, they will be facing against never-ending legions of powerful Arrancars (to them at least), the Arcs' own military might which was left largely untouched (and number close to a million soldiers by themselves, never mind any from the Kingdoms loyal to the Clan), no Dust or Aura to power weapons/protect themselves (hinted that with Robin's/Altani's reaction to them), and the support of the majority of people in Remnant (Human and Faunus) after dealing with the 'traitorous' Huntsmen and Grimm. I agree, people would be pissed over what happened to their friends/family. But unlike Star Wars where the Empire (who was corrupt beyond belief) had to search the entire galaxy for the Rebellion, the Arcs are seen as good people who patrol just one world and need only the Arrancars to sniff out any Huntsmen/sympathizer holdouts (one such place was destroyed in the end). A few people would not be enough to successfully overthrow the Arcs, plus how would they be able to destroy the source of the Clone Armies if their creator is safe in Hueco Mundo, or the legions of Arcs who don't rely on Dust to power their technology (that's going to be touched on later)? That's why I left the ending as it was, there was no way a Rebellion could form if there aren't enough people willing to fight against a regime that freed them of their greatest enemy with no way to harm them.**

**Janne Rolfe Jalandoni****: Already working on reactions to the whole game. Three guesses on who's Noble 6 ;)**

**Argus456****: Glad you liked it, though I will not be doing the third one. Judgement Day, at least in this story, has been terminated from the timeline. Penny's reactions were a blast to write though, as was Velvet's XD**

**Elpis Bringer of Hope****: Welcome, My Lord. I regret to inform you that "Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works" will not be featured in the Nexus. Though I would like to say that I am working on having the audience see a universe where several of these so-called 'heroes' have been corrupted by a meddling Dark Lord, twisting their ideals until they no longer resemble their former selves. I do hope that you enjoy what I have planned for them, Jack. And May the Light of The Pillars guide you.**

**Lonyer182****: I never really liked the Predator series to be honest. I mean, in every movie, the Predators hunt humans, but every time they do that, they die from them? How? They have advanced weaponry and cloaking technology. It's like a human hunter getting killed by a couple chipmunks with toothpicks (Arnold did beat a Predator with a log). It's really confusing to be honest. I apologize if my comments weren't respectful.**

**Thanatos413****: Really? Wow. That really means a lot to me, thank you for that :)**

**jocoleman2017****: The next full movie is sort of a secret, but it is a future scenario! Haven't done one of those in a while and thought one was due.**

**camdawg****: No idea. I really do want to start on the Marvel Universe soon though.**

**Haseo55****: Thank you. Never watched Dark Fate before, though I heard it was pretty awful. The author had made the crossover, I mostly made the reactions, so I wouldn't have made any omake. Not sure how I'd go about making omakes on this story to be honest.**

**X3runner****: Glad that you enjoyed it. Man, haven't watched Kindergarten Cop in years. I am trying to do Die Hard though. Jaune as McClain, Yang as Molly, Neptune as the drug addict, Whitley as Takagi (want him to have an important role as a nice guy), Sun as the limo driver, Ren as Powel(?), Ciel as Deputy Director, Raven as Agent Smith (1), Qrow as Agent Smith (2), Sienna as Hans, Ilia as the computer hacker, Adam as the crazy brother, Blake as the dead brother. That's what I got so far, what do you think? And Indiana Jones sounds awesome, gonna see which I will do though.**

**RedDragonRevan****: I'm going to do Jaune as Noble Six in Reach, and a rather great Admiral from a different time. I was thinking of doing the Knights of the Old Republic trailers since I'm not too knowledgeable on Legends and I wanted to do a trailer chapter with 'new' orbs/universes being born, letting the audience see what new universes being created looks like in the Nexus. It's a beautiful sight. Still, that is an awesome idea, a shame I'm too much of an idiot when it comes to the Legends Expanded Universe :(**

**BlackPhantom247****: Pff hahaha! I'm sorry, it's just that when you mentioned the idiots getting a spanking, my mind immediately thought of Jaune giving the two an actual spanking XD. Haven't watched Road to El Dorado, but I am working on one that is lighthearted enough that isn't dark like the others, but isn't all rainbows and unicorns. It's also a future scenario, a rather long one at that. It's actually the original future that their Jaune was supposed to have if the people didn't get sucked towards the Nexus.** **I am working on stuff that are based on real-life historical events for the Arcs' past, like the warfare from WW1. Though movie/show historical ones seem to take most of the space up (opposite problem for names though, funny enough). Thank you for offering though, very kind of you :) And someone already did Atlantis: The lost Empire before I did, kind of sad about that to be honest. But the author made an amazing job, gave the movie justice.**

**Dcraus****: No to King Artur, and working on The Last Samurai.**

**The Poarter****: Sorry, but I can't do The Terminator, for several reasons. For one: it'll be very confusing for the others to see Jaune as the evil Terminator when they just finished watching a good version of him. Second: I got a lot of movies to react to on my list (the 8 Marvel movies I'm planning counts for 1/4 of the list of full movies I'm planning). I'll put a list of what I got planned already at the bottom.**

**Done! Also, great news, we're almost at a million views! Woo! Actually expect to reach it after this chapter (that's not me being arrogant, we're less than 20,000!). Now, prepare your tear ducts, because this is gonna be a bumpy ride!**

**Disclaimer in the prologue.**

After the final scene ended, everyone felt low. Just then, a mannequin lit up and once the light faded away, everyone saw that it was wearing the same outfit Terminator Jaune wore, while holding a shotgun in its left hand over its shoulder.

Pyrrha sniffled, looking at another reminder of her crush's sacrifice. Then she noticed something, "Why is the outfit next to SOLDIER Jaune's sword?"

Jack apologized, and magically moved it somewhere else.

Penny closed her eyes in grief, dearly hoping that he was at peace now.

The children teared up at the sight of the outfit before it moved.

Winter looked down, feeling terrible for what happened at the end.

Everyone took some time to collect themselves. Robin and Altani still wanting to know what Dust and Aura was decided to wait for a better moment.

A few hours later, as they just calmed down, everyone heard a small ringing noise.

Just then, Adrian and Alice came back, riding in separate toy vehicles.

"…" Everyone took a moment to see what they were seeing, confused (and a bit sad) by the sight.

Adrian was pedaling a Harley-Davidson bike, wearing the same clothes Jaune did, complete with sunglasses, while Alice was behind him, pedaling a police bike while wearing the clothes Cardin wore.

Both were laughing as they 'chased' each other, it was actually pretty darn adorable.

Glynda, Terra, and Saphron smiled a bit as they see their children playing together, their hearts mending a bit from the sight and laughter. Truly magical, the laughter of a child. They smiled wider and waved, taking out their scrolls to record the cute moment, as Adrian grinned behind his shades while Alice smiled at her momma as she ringed a little bell on her bike.

The other parents felt a little better seeing the children play, same with the students.

The other children looked at the sight with some nostalgia, wanting to play along with their baby sister.

Nobody saw the little smile Jack had, before he sighed as he took the orb, and placed it on a shelf while taking out another blue one. 'Man, I don't know if their hearts can take this one.' He thought as he went back to the screen.

As the toddlers petaled away back to their cribs, not knowing how their fun time cheered everyone nor how they'll dodge a bullet not watching the next universe, everyone looked back to the screen as the lights dimmed.

**The screen was still pitch-black, but the audience could hear voices fading in, apparently in the middle of a conversation.**

**"Manson?" a male voice, barely audible to the audience, spoke.**

**"Ew! Gross." a female voice gagged.**

"What is this?" Tai asks, confused with how the screen wasn't showing anything. "Is the screen broken?"

Yang raised an eyebrow, 'Why does the second voice sound familiar?' Ruby and Summer felt the same thing, wondering who the female voice belonged to.

**"Michael?"**

**"Not feeling it."**

**The voices were getting clearer, and the audience realized the male voice belonged to Jaune.**

Several winced at hearing his voice again after witnessing his other's sacrifice, taking a few breaths to calm down.

**"Um...Cedric?"**

**"That's the third time that name came up...and 'no' is still the answer. I'm also noticing you're coming up with only male names now." the female voice complained, though she was clearly amused from her tone.**

Many of the women with crushes narrowed their eyes, wanting to know who this new person was, and if it was any of them.

Tai and Qrow felt a bit odd, feeling like they _knew_ this woman's voice, and felt a growing sense of anger for some reason.

**"…Cletus?" Jaune's voice finally spoke after a long pause, though it clearly sounded like he was grimacing. (Yang: "Hell no, that's a terrible name." Coco: "Agreed.")**

**"Hell no." the female voice immediately responded flatly, and the rest of the audience was beginning to realize that she sounded familiar too.**

Tai and Qrow tensed. "No…" They whispered as they clenched their fists.

Yang gaped at the woman's answer being the same as hers. 'Wait a minute…'

**"Yeah, I'm really glad you rejected that. I wouldn't know what to do if I realized I married someone who'd even consider 'Cletus' as the name for our baby." Jaune chuckled as the screen slowly came to life to show a close shot of his handsome face grinning at someone offscreen, his blue eyes shining with mirth.**

Ren rose an eyebrow, "Oh, Jaune and this other woman are choosing names for their child."

Penny nods, "That's nice." She felt a bit sad that the now revealed pregnant woman wasn't her. 'Though, I suppose I should count myself lucky that I can _have_ children now that I'm human.' She, and the other women, then blushed after seeing the handsome face of Jaune. "Oh my!"

A few of the female students drooled at the sight, the joy in his eyes looking more like the Jaune they know and love.

**From what the audience could see of this version of Jaune, he was apparently dressed in a tight blue long-sleeved uniform shirt and black pants that looked to be of a futuristic and minimalist design. A stylish arrowhead-shaped insignia was prominently displayed over his left pectoral. The biggest change about this Jaune was that his familiar shaggy blond hair had been cut quite short and styled slightly, making him look crisp and clean-shaven and showing that he was part of a well-disciplined organization.**

Winter blushed at seeing the young man's clean features, vastly different to _others_ she knew. She also wondered if he was in a military unit based on what he was wearing. 'I wouldn't mind if he was my _commanding_ officer.' Her blush deepened at the thought.

James was confused. The General didn't know if what the man was wearing was part of a military. While the outfit looked streamlined, he felt it was too minimalistic for his tastes. He looked to Jack and asked, "Is this man military?" earning the attention of Winter and the rest.

Jack did a so-so gesture. "Kind of." Leaving everyone confused. "I mean, the organization he's a part of is more geared towards science and exploration, though it _does_ follow a naval command structure."

Everyone was still confused, 'How does a civilian organization follow a naval structure?'

James didn't know how that works, but nodded all the same. 'Perhaps it can be explained later.' He reasoned.

**The tight shirt was a little stretched against his developed muscles, showing he kept himself in good shape.**

Something which the women noticed with glee as they could see some of his muscle tone. Though some didn't really like how the outfit looked, too boring for their tastes *cough* Coco *cough*. (1)

**In the background behind him, several medical machines and computers were visible, with some of their colorful displays and lights blinking away. The audience could tell they were way advanced beyond anything possible on Remnant in their time period; not even the latest in Atlas technology came close to matching what they've seen on the screen, and it was only a small glimpse!**

Penny immediately 'borrowed' Ruby's scroll to take a few pictures of the machines.

Ruby, Terra, Winter, and James were all deeply impressed by the gadgets; with Ruby drooling at the possible designs and James nodding in respect.

**"Doesn't matter; you're stuck with me. At least I'm beautiful enough to be worth it." the female voice teased back.**

**The view then changed to show a small and well-lit private hospital room; one of the several connected to the main area of the sickbay. This also finally revealed the owner of the female voice.**

Tai, Qrow, Ruby, and her friends all gaped at the reveal of this mystery woman. The girl herself was speechless by what she was seeing.

**Yang Xiao Long, or rather Yang **_**Arc**_**, dressed in a hospital gown, was lying sideways on her right side on what looked like a high-tech-looking hospital bed- with several attached displays apparently monitoring her health- secured to the wall opposite the door into this room. Through the small window next to the door, one could see the sickbay staff bustling around as they did their tasks. She was facing Jaune with a tired smile, her right hand holding his left as if it were a lifeline and her left lovingly caressing her very pregnant belly.**

"YANG?!"

Ruby looked at the screen with happiness with a bit of sadness. "Yay! I'm an aunt!" She cheered.

Summer squealed "I have a grandbaby!" Her mind immediately going to all the best ways on how to spoil her grandbaby rotten.

Yang looked at her clearly older self, her _pregnant_ older self, with shock. "I, I don't-" She was lost, not knowing what to say here. She did like the idea of being a mother though.

Raven felt old just by looking at her daughter's older self. 'I'm a _grandparent_!'

Kali pouted, wanting her own grandbabies to spoil. She looked to Blake with a mad gleam, causing her to sweat a bit as she gulped nervously. "So, when are you going to settle down and give me grandkittens?" "MOM!"

Ghira growled, not wanting his precious kitten to be pregnant so young, and clung to a blushing Chibi-Blake like she was a security blanket.

Willow felt something similar to Kali, wanting a chance to have a grandchild to love and hold. She also felt like she wanted something _more_ which confused her.

The other women felt a bit angry at the sight, though the heroines did tone it down at the clear love between the two here.

Oz and Salem smiled, remembering when she was pregnant with their angels.

Tai and Qrow growled, wanting to tear the bastard apart for knocking up their daughter/niece.

**Her long golden blond hair was frazzled, she had no makeup on, was sweating a little from some exertion, and her striking lilac eyes were slightly bloodshot from lack of sleep. Despite all these details, Jaune still thought she was the most beautiful woman in his life, and that he still felt very fortunate to this day to have earned her love.**

Yang blushed as a pretty smile lit up her face. "Awe, that's real sweet Jaune."

Pyrrha huffed, wishing that it was her that Jaune had eyes for.

Most of the mothers cooed, thinking it sweet of Jaune.

Mercury whistled, "Wow, all that and the guy still believes that?"

Emerald smiled, thinking/hoping that Jaune would look to her in a similar way when she's pregnant with their twins. 'I won't give up!' At Mercury's statement, she punched him straight in the jaw without looking away, knocking the idiot out.

Cinder sighed at the idiocy of her henchman, seeing how a lot of people were glaring at his crumpled body. 'Why can't my minions be as effective as Mr. Arc's in that future?' Her eyes glinted at the thought of the armies he led in that possible future.

**"How the hell did I let a country boy like you convince me to hold off on naming our baby until after it's born? We don't even know the gender yet either, and I'm getting a little stressed out now with no actual name to give our baby once I pop it out." the exasperated mother-to-be complained as she rested her head against the pillow. Though she knew her husband was just throwing random names out now to distract her from the upcoming birth, and also the contractions building up to it.**

Yang facepalmed as Summer sighed while looking at a now nervously chucking Tai as he rubbed the back of his head.

Nora blinked. "Wow, that's impressive." Her friends nodded, wanting to know just _how_ Jaune managed to convince Yang to wait that long.

**"Sorry, but you know it's always been a tradition on my side of our family. My dad always said the perfect name will pop into our heads the moment the baby's born." Jaune replied with an apologetic expression, then smirked. (Saphron: *Groans* "Come on Jaune, you know dad's advice is terrible.")**

**"The better question would be how the hell did a 'country boy' like me manage to marry the most gorgeous woman in the Federation who's also about to be the mother of the most beautiful baby ever?" he said proudly as he moved his wife's hand up to kiss her knuckles with a suave smile, getting an amused and unladylike snort from Yang.**

Yang blushed a bit, "Heh, that was good lady killer." She grinned at this more confident Jaune Arc, and already thinking of ways to bring that mindset out on her version. 'Wait, _my_ version?'

Tai took that moment to stare back at the screen, wishing to tear the man's head off. "Who does he think he is, seducing my little dragon?"

Yang's blush deepened, but in embarrassment, "Daaaadd!"

Summer sighed, and seeing Qrow's nod and glare, went to both and smacked the two in the back of the head. "Listen you two." She said after they recovered from the vicious hit, glaring at them. "I want grandbabies, and _no one_ is going to take that away from me." Her eyes narrowed dangerously, "_Are we clear_?"

The two grown Huntsmen cowered in fear, nodding as they hugged each other. Raven sighed, repressing a shiver of fear from seeing her old team leader manifesting once more.

Her job done, Summer went back to squealing with joy as she grabbed Ruby and Yang and hugged them, asking them how long it'll take for them to give her grandchildren. The sisters stammered as they tried to get away from their mom, but her grip was like steel.

As the two let go of each other, they swore to at least make sure that their little Ruby would remain pure and innocent, causing said girl to blush in embarrassed mortification.

Ignoring all of that, Whitley rose an eyebrow, "What's this Federation?"

Jack took that as his que to explain. He paused the viewing, took out his data pad, and began reading. "The United Federation of Planets, more commonly referred to as just 'The Federation', is an interstellar government comprising of numerous planetary sovereignties. This union was made possible due to agreed-upon regulations that would allow them to exist semi-autonomously under a single central government based on the principles of universal liberty, rights, & equality, and to share their knowledge and resources in peaceful cooperation, scientific development, space exploration, and mutual defense. Founded by the Humans/Faunus, Vulcans, Andorians, and Tellarites, The Federation is considered one of the most powerful interstellar states in known space, encompassing eight thousand light years, and over 150 formal member worlds. Unlike its imperial rivals however, who derive power from a single species subjugating other races, the Federation's various member worlds joined willingly and are equals in Federation society."

As Jack explained the Federation, the more people were amazed by it. After finishing, he placed the pad next to him on a side table, thinking that he may need it for later explanations.

The Faunus were amazed. They wanted to go live in this utopian society already. 'For so many species to come together, equality would be nothing short of magical.' Many of them thought as they imagined what living in such a government would be like. 'It's not fair.'

James and the Schnees felt proud of being one of the founding members of the government, if their puffed-out chests were any indication. The other teachers and adults were blown away by this, wishing they knew the secret behind the Federation's success so that they can implement it in their world. 'If it worked for more than a hundred different planets and species, then surely it could do the same for a single world with only two species.'

The students were in awe, thinking of how Remnant would look like with so many peoples and species interacting with each other there.

Penny raised her hand, which Jack nodded to. "What's a lightyear?"

Jack said, "A lightyear is a unit of distance for objects in space, specifically, the distance light travels in one Remnant year: with one lightyear about 5.88 trillion miles or 9.5 trillion km."

Everyone was blown away by the distance.

Yang smiled, flattered at being thought of as the most beautiful woman out of everyone in a government in control of such a large territory, with over a hundred planets and multiple alien races, by her husband. She then grinned, "Well, he got that part right about me!" She stood up and did a sexy pose for the man onscreen, much to her dad's and uncle's horror. She turned to their resident god, "Hey Jack, mind if I get a crown?"

Said deity raised an eyebrow. "Uh, why?"

Yang grinned, "Well, as the most gorgeous woman in the Federation, I _need_ a crown to showcase the accomplishment!"

At that, a lot of women felt jealous. Cinder even contemplated murdering Yang for what she felt was a personal slight against her.

Raven smirked. 'Having my child wear a crown is such a wonderful feeling.' She should know, Robin still hadn't taken hers off. At that, she bent down to kiss the top of her head, much to the child's confusion.

Jack rolled his eyes, "Fine." He grins as he magically constructs a tiara made up of beautifully interwoven silver strands with a golden gem placed in the center and a bit down from the main body.

Many were struck by the sheer beauty yet simplicity of it. Saphron, Terra, Robin, and Altani stared wide-eyed at the design.

Yang grinned as the tiara floated towards her, "Yeah, now that's what I'm talking about." Just then, Tai plucked it out of the air. "Hey!"

Her dad grinned, "Sorry sweetie, but you're my daughter. If anyone's going to lay a crown on your head, it should be me." Yang blushed, but smiled.

Saphron coughed. "Um, I'm not sure you should be doing that, sir."

Tai shook his head, "No, I really think I do."

The lady Arc shrugged, "Ok."

Tai then placed the tiara on top of his little dragon's head. He stepped back, and seeing how beautiful she looks, said "You look like a princess, sweetie."

Her friends, Ruby, and Summer went over to get a closer look, as Yang preened at the complements she was getting.

Tai smiled at the sight, then turned towards Saphron. "So, any reason why I didn't want to do that?" As a caring father, why wouldn't he want to put a crown on her head? He felt that his baby girl deserved it after all.

Saphron shrugged, "Well, based on what you said about my brother 'seducing' your daughter earlier," she made air quotes with her fingers with a knowing grin, "I just didn't think you'd want to give her an Arcadian _wedding_ tiara." She and Terra snickered at the end, while Robin and Altani laughed. (2)

Tai froze, as did most of the audience. Then he ran over to a surprised Yang. Yang though, who recovered fast enough, fought back. "Yang, take that thing off!" "Back off, old man!"

As the others recovered, many were thinking of what kind of tiara/crown they would get to wear should they marry Jaune.

**She felt she had the right to dismiss his compliments for now, since she looked like a mess with a huge bloated belly about to push out a baby along with lots of disgusting fluids and afterbirth. (Roman: "Gross." Neo: "Oh, don't be a baby!")**

**"Alright, please keep your flirting to a minimum in my sickbay, would you?" a tan-skinned female doctor with brown hair in a pixie-bob style teased with a smirk as she entered the room, a medical tricorder held in her hand.**

As Yang and Tai continued their 'fight', with Summer now joining in– "Don't get in the way of true love, Tai!"–, everyone else were speechless by who entered the bay.

The noise made by their scuffle had also allowed Mercury to wake up, who glared at Emerald for the knockout.

**A woman walked inside, and while Doctor Laxi looked almost human-like, they could immediately tell that she was of an extraterrestrial species with her non-Faunus, impossibly big and round brown eyes. She stopped by Yang's bedside and began scanning the patient with her device upon linking to the bed's monitoring system. Meanwhile, Jaune averted his eyes with a small dusting of pink on his cheeks at being caught flirting with his beloved wife. Yang merely rolled her lilac eyes at her husband's shyness with a fond smile.**

Yang, with her tiara still on and keeping her dad in check with a chokehold with the help of her mom, grinned at the screen. "Oh no, don't mind her, keep it up! I can go all day~."

Coco and Nora laughed while the other students groaned. Meanwhile, Qrow felt his heart shatter. "You used to go on piggyback rides."

Mercury snorted in amusement at that, before he flinched at the glares Altani and Robin threw at him. 'What did I say?' Then he felt the glares of the other children. 'What?!' He didn't know that all of Jaune's children loved asking for piggyback rides from their papa, and were not happy that someone was making fun of that in their eyes. (3)

**"Everything looks good so far, and the contractions seem to be progressing with the intervals shrinking at a steady rate. I imagine we'll be welcoming a beautiful and very healthy new life just when we're about to arrive at Remnant." Laxi announced with a friendly smile as she snapped her tricorder closed.**

**"I certainly hope it'll be sooner rather than later, doc." Yang grumbled as she nearly crushed her husband's hand and breathed in and out slowly upon feeling a mild contraction just now. Jaune couldn't help himself, even as he winced in pain for his poor hand, he kissed his wife's forehead.**

The fathers who could were massaging their hands in phantom pain as they remembered how their angels came into the world.

The mothers just rolled their eyes at the big babies, 'Please, you want to talk about _real_ pain?' They did awe at Jaune's loving gesture.

**"Who's the one that wanted a natural birth, huh?" he reminded with a strained smile. That earned him a sharp punch to his bicep and a glare that was becoming more deadly to him because of her newly-developed aura of motherhood. She couldn't hide her satisfied smirk when Jaune adopted a pitiful puppy-like expression in return. (Coco: "Hey, don't hurt the goods.")**

**"No killing our second-in-command in my bay, Mrs. Arc; even if he deserves it." the doctor called over her shoulder with a chuckle as she left the room to do other work. With her departure, a peaceful moment of silence settled on the couple as they gazed lovingly at each other.**

**"What're you thinking, country boy?"**

**"I'm thinking I can finally have some dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets instead of crappy mess hall food when we disembark." Jaune replied with a mock-serious expression, getting a huff from Yang.**

Pyrrha, Penny, Velvet, and Ruby giggled as they thought of Jaune's admittedly childish obsession of chicken nuggets adorable, with Saphron and Terra joining.

Winter and James chuckled, thinking of the various scientific horrors the Atlassian military insisted was 'food'. "Well," James smiled, "I suppose almost anything would be better than military rations, even chicken nuggets."

Winter nodded, as did the older Huntsmen who had to endure field rations in the past. "That is true sir, though I believe our cooks have made some breakthroughs into making them more edible."

Amber pouted next to her mom, "Why's everyone laughing? Dinosaur chicken nuggets are the best!" Her sisters nodded in agreement, showing everyone how similar Jaune's children were despite coming from separate universes.

Raven sighed while Sienna chuckled as their daughters joined in. Glynda wondered if her child with the Arc would grow up to have the same taste in food, the adorableness of that thought made her smile.

After what felt like forever, the atmosphere of the Nexus felt calm, and everyone felt like truly relaxing after witnessing the end of that last world.

**"Not that, dork. You've been thinking about something else for a long while. Tell me, please?"**

**Jaune smiled softly as he gazed at his wife's swollen belly for a long moment, before finally speaking.**

**"You know...I've had this thought for months that this baby is definitely going to grow up to do amazing things in the future," he shakes his head, "and I don't think that's my pride as a new father talking. The longer I've been watching our beautiful new life grow in you, the more certain I am of that feeling. I can't prove it, but I just know for certain our child is destined to be someone they'll talk about in history lessons a hundred years from now." He says determinately as he carefully laid his left hand on his wife's belly. Yang chuckled warmly, and Jaune could see how motherly she was becoming with the baby coming. He'd thought it impossible for his wife's already amazing beauty to grow even more, but the allure of motherhood was proving him quite wrong.**

The mothers all awed at Jaune's speech. The children actually felt a bit of pride for their unborn sibling.

Pyrrha gushed at the speech, "Awe, he believes in his child so much, that's soo sweet~!" She was still upset that it wasn't her that had Jaune's child, but she couldn't help but be happy for her crush's happiness here.

Willow sighed, wishing how her useless husband was at least half of what this version of Mr. Arc is right now. 'I wonder…' She hummed with a thoughtful expression.

The Schnee siblings felt the same for their father. "Unbelievable," Weiss said with a jealous huff, "the child hasn't even been born yet, and already its father has shown more love for it than our own has for our entire lives."

Winter shook her head as she went over to hug her little sister.

Whitley looked down, wondering what his life would've been if he had this man for a father. He smiled, "That would be wonderful." He sighed in despondently. 'It is a shame I cannot change his ways…' "Wait a minute…" He whispered. He looked back towards the screen, seeing the love that man has for his child, and then towards the numerous orbs surrounding them. Taking a moment, he started to think. 'I cannot change my father, I know this, but if I just so _happen_ to gain a _new_ one, well… isn't that just prudent planning?'

Yang, after letting her old man go, was struck speechless. Don't get her wrong, she always knew that if she ever decided to be a mom, she'd be a damn good one. 'Look at how well Ruby turned out.' She thought as she glanced at her baby sister she practically raised as her daughter while growing up. However, that didn't stop a lingering sense of doubt, that she would end up just like Raven and simply walk away from everything.

Seeing her other so happy to be a mother, to see the love in the couple's eyes, it helped settle what doubts she had.

**"Usually, I'd point out that every new parent are obligated to think that of every child they have, no matter what. But...I do have to agree with you here." she began as she lovingly caressed her belly, with one of her hands gently guiding her husband's large and warm hand along the curve of it. She locked her beautiful lilac eyes with his blue ones, showing that she believed in what he said wholeheartedly. "I can feel it, too."**

**Suddenly, they felt a strong kick under their joined hands from the baby inside the womb, making the mother-to-be wince slightly in discomfort. "And I really felt that one just now."**

Some of the mothers smiled as they rubbed their own bellies, remembering the magical feeling of their babies kicking, and chuckling at Yang's words.

**The Arc couple exchanged amused grins for a moment, before Jaune fixed Yang with his most confident expression that reminded her of why she fell in love with him.**

**"I will do my best to make sure that future happens. That's a promise." he declared with an assured grin, and Yang nodded her acceptance.**

**"I'll hold you to that, country boy." she said as she gripped his collar to pull him into a loving kiss, seemingly lost to the world around them though it didn't last long, earning awes from most of the women in the audience.**

**The quiet humming sound that had been permeating throughout the entire ship for the last few hours had stopped just now. The couple broke off the kiss slowly, and their expressions became serious upon noticing the lack of that sound.**

**"We're dropping out of warp much sooner than expected." Jaune stated, and Yang nodded her affirmation (Nora: "Oh come on, can't we just enjoy some niceness for a change?!"). He could feel the deck below his feet shift slightly as the ship changed headings with its inertial dampers working to keep up. Finally, what the couple were dreading for the last few long seconds came when a familiar chirp filled the small room.**

**"Bridge to Arc." a man's voice sounded crisply from the communicator on Jaune's belt. With a deepening scowl at having his time off for his wife's childbirth interrupted, he grabbed the device and flipped it open with a flick of his wrist.**

**"Arc here." he said neutrally, recognizing the voice on the other end as belonging to the ship's Captain, James Ironwood.**

James blinked, unsure how to take this apparent demotion of his rank. Neither did the Schnees, Glynda, or Ozpin.

Jaune's team had straightened their backs and became more focused, subconsciously recognizing their friend's "Leader Mode" voice, and looked to be awaiting further orders.

Winter noticed this, as did Cinder and Salem, and they couldn't help but admire Jaune for the level of discipline he'd instilled in them at such a limited amount of time.

**If it had been anyone else, he would've told them in no certain terms to go fuck themselves (Qrow: *Snorts* "Nice."). His rising frustration stalled for a moment when Yang took hold of his free hand and rubbed her thumb on it soothingly.**

**"Mr. and Mrs. Arc, you know I wouldn't interrupt this very important moment in your family life if this wasn't so urgent. With that said, I am truly sorry but I need you on the bridge immediately, Lieutenant Commander." Ironwood spoke somewhat regretfully, but his tone told the couple there was no choice.**

**Jaune breathed in and out slowly once, before speaking. "Acknowledged, Captain."**

Tai sighed, and rubbing his sore neck, said "While I still hate the idea of one of my little girls pregnant, I agree with the kid. I'd _need_ those breathing exercises if I was called to leave my wife alone while she's about to give birth." He paused to think a bit on the situation. "Maybe with a few more curse words for good measure."

Ghira nodded in agreement, "True, if anyone tried to take him away from his little kitten's birth, I'd rip them apart."

Odin said, "Aye, anyone who did that would taste the metal of my axe in their spine!"

Kali, Frigga, and Summer blushed as they snuggled with their men with smiles on their faces.

Yang, Ruby, and both Blakes blushed as well, but that was more due to embarrassment. Nora just grinned at the idea of her dad breaking some poor shmuck's back.

**He closed the communicator with a sharper snap than necessary, and gazed apologetically at Yang. She just smiled softly, took his hand into both of hers, and lifted it up to lightly kiss his open palm several times. She then nuzzled her cheek into it as she spoke.**

**"Jaune, it's okay. After everything we've been through on this long mission, I know ol' Cap would never have called you back in if it isn't important. He knows I'd have kicked his ass otherwise; him being the captain be damned. This ship needs you, and I'll be waiting right here with our baby when you're done. Go save the day, country boy."**

Summer teared up, the moment getting to her inner romantic with others having the same problem.

**Jaune sighed and nodded resolutely as he rose to his feet, and leaned over to leave a chaste kiss on her lips. He moved to the door that automatically slid open upon his proximity. He stopped suddenly in the doorway for a moment, then quickly turned around with a half-cocked grin, a silly wink, and a finger gun pointing at his wife.**

**"Robert."**

"Hard pass, lover boy." Yang says as she shakes her head with a light chuckle as she wipes a few stray tears.

**"Bold move there." Yang replied without missing a beat, though she was grinning mischievously. "Naming the baby after one of my exes...maybe it's worth a shot." she finished as she rubbed her chin as if in serious thought about his 'suggestion'. She couldn't hold her laughter in when her husband's face blanched in horror at his joke backfiring rather spectacularly (Yang: "Nice one, other me!").**

**"Alright! No need to joke about that, okay?!" he grumped while Yang still giggled uncontrollably for a moment longer. His expression then softened with a warm smile. "I love you, Yang."**

**"I love you too, Jaune. Come back soon." the beautiful mother-to-be's smile seemed to brighten up the room for a moment.**

Yang gushed a bit at that.

Tai and Qrow were still grumbling, but had calmed down for the most part. They saw how happy those two onscreen were, and they didn't want to be a dick and deny their baby girl that happiness. And the threatening glare they got from Summer didn't hurt.

'I just don't want my baby to get hurt.' Tai glanced at Raven, remembering how devastated he was when she left, then looks back at onscreen Yang's smile. He smiled as well. 'Heh, I guess this little brat _may_ just be good enough for her, _if_ he's as kind as this version is.'

Qrow looked at then screen with determination, "If you don't take care of my innocent little niece, I _will_ find a way to go to your world and give you a _painful_ introduction to Harbinger."

Winter, James, and Glynda stared in shock at the man's threat/promise.

Yang and Ruby blushed at how embarrassing their normally cool uncle was being right now.

**With that, he stepped out, quickly signaled for Doctor Laxi to put least one nurse at Yang's side in his absence, then walked out of sickbay. A moment later, one of the nurses, a cute bunny-eared brunette, entered through the doorway he just vacated and glared at the pregnant woman good-naturedly.**

Coco grinned, "Hey look, bun-bun, it's you!" She then frowned with a deadpan stare, "and it looks like you're wearing the same overalls as well."

Velvet blushed deeply, especially when looking at how the uniform seems to be hugging her older self's body. 'She looks just like me in that picture with the sundress!' She also noted the confidence her other had and sighed. Sure, she has been more expressive recently, but she doubted that it would last once they return hope. 'A girl can dream though.'

Some of the other women grumbled in jealousy over the beautiful figure the more grown-up Velvet had.

Ilia blushed at the sight, while looking down at her own figure. She sighed in slight dejection.

Ruby frowned as she looked at the chest. 'I need to drink more milk!'

Penny wondered if she should ask Jack for an _upgrade_. 'It does seem like most men enjoy the sight of fat being centered around the chest and rear areas.'

Mercury grinned, enjoying the free show. "Nice, I wond-" before he could finish whatever he planned to say, he got slapped by a pissed off Neo and Emerald, causing him to drop from his seat in pain.

Velvet saw this, and mouthed "Thank you", which the two just nodded.

**"You lucky bitch." Velvet Scarlatina muttered quietly with a joking smirk as she fluffed some pillows on the bed behind Yang.**

Hearing her curse made many of her friends laugh. Velvet smiled a bit, seeing her older self's boldness. 'I hope to one day be as self-assured as my other.' She ducked a bit in embarrassment when Glynda shook her head in disappointment.

Glynda sighed, "And she was such a sweet girl too." She glared a bit at a laughing Coco and Yang, just knowing that one or the other would be the reason for this. 'You do not need to be foulmouthed to believe in yourself.' Her eye twitched a bit, 'And with my luck, it was both that corrupted her.'

**It was no secret among all the single females on this ship that Jaune Arc was one of the most desirable males on its crew of nearly nine hundred.**

Coco whistled, "Wow, even in other worlds, Jaune's pretty popular~."

Yang puffed her chest out in pride. "Yep, I'm the best!" She grinned at the fashionista, much to the others' grumbles.

**"You know it, sister." Yang's tone and grin were extremely smug as she shifted her body and laid back to get herself ready for labor.**

**Out in the corridor, Jaune was silently marching past nervous crew members, who had pressed themselves up against the sides after they all scrambled out of his way upon noticing his intimidating expression. Finally after a few turns, he reached a turbolift.**

**He entered, gripped a control handle tightly, and gave a good effort at ripping it off the wall for a few seconds in order to bleed out his frustration at being called back on duty. It didn't even budge one millimeter, as if it was mocking him.**

James, Penny, and Winter eye twitched at the attempt of destroying expensive equipment.

At the same time Tai, Ghira, Odin, and Ozpin nodded in agreement at the attempt, feeling that they would probably do the same thing, only with more things destroyed in their own rampages.

**"Bridge." he bit out, finally managing to settle his expression into a neutral one just as the turbolift doors closed with a quiet hiss.**

**In the next shot, the audience were treated to the spectacular sight of deep space with the Federation starship, the USS Kelvin, sweeping gracefully into view near a large red dwarf star, its silver-colored hull bathing in the bright light. The ship large enough to take a while to become fully visible on the screen.**

**What the viewers could make out first was Kelvin's large saucer-like primary hull with its name and registry number displayed prominently across it, and its main bridge sitting a bit higher in the center. They then saw the cylindrical secondary hull, housing the deflector dish and hanger, attached dorsally at the back of the saucer. Finally, the long single warp engine nacelle sitting ventrally under the saucer came into view. This ship was a unique design even among the wide variety of Federation ship designs out there, since many of them used at least two engine nacelles instead of just one. All in all, it was an awe-inspiring, yet very weird design for the audience.**

As everyone was in awe at the view of space, this being the first time anyone had seen such a magnificent view, they were also a bit confused with the design.

"Uh," Peridot started, "Not that that's not cool and everything, but…" Her twin continued "Why is the main body of the ship in the shape of a saucer?"

Amber scratched her head, "Yeah, wouldn't the design make it easy for enemies to land more hits on them?" They're young, but they've been taught to create as small a profile as possible when in a fight, and seeing a ship with that big a profile confused them.

The other fighters nodded, feeling that the ship being so wide would only make it a bigger target. Especially if attacked from the top or bottom of the ship.

Jack nodded, "For larger capital ships, definitely. But the Kelvin is measured at only 450 meters long."

Ruby was amazed by the ship, but then tilted her head in confusion. "Uh, why are the engines away from the main body though?"

Blake shrugged, "Maybe in case the engines blow up, the rest of the ship can still be salvaged, thus saving more crewmembers than if it was housed inside the ship."

Penny shook her head. "But they are still in space. If space is the same as being underwater, and the main engines blew up, it would not matter if the crew survived the explosion or not. The ship would still be stranded, and against the people who destroyed the engines in the first place with no way to escape." She looked back at the ship, also noting that with it being so far away from the rest of the ship, any point defense system would have a difficult time covering the engines.

James nodded, "That is true, and if it was housed inside the ship, it would just be more difficult for potential enemies to target them."

Jack shrugged. "Well, I did say that the organization wasn't strictly a military one." (4)

**The Kelvin was returning from its months-long deep space and scientific exploration mission on its way back to Remnant, the Federation's homeworld, when its long-range sensors picked up something odd near the Klingon Empire's border. The ship's crew was then tasked by Starfleet Command to temporarily divert there to document anything that might happen.**

Amber raised an eyebrow, "Wait, so they're sending only one ship to document whatever's over there? Alone? Near the borders of…" She blinked, then looked to Jack, "Are those Kli-whatever friendly?"

Jack shook his head, "Not really." He took his pad to look into it. "According to this universe's timeline, The Federation and _Klingon_ Empire were nearing a state of Cold War." He placed the pad back on the table as everyone deadpanned at the news.

James facepalmed. "Clearly, not military." He bemoaned at his other's bad luck in having to deal with such a lackluster leadership. "I would've made sure to at least divert more than _one_ ship to document this anomaly. What if something were to go wrong?"

Ozpin nodded, not understanding how these people could just divert one ship to this.

Yang sheepishly said, "Maybe the Federation is spread thin at the moment?" She said, trying to defend the organization her other's hubby is a part of.

Winter nodded, "You may be right." She said as she rubbed her chin.

"I am?" Yang asked at the same time as Weiss and Ruby asked "She is?" Then the former grinned. "I am!"

Winter nods, "With such a vast territory the Federation has to police, there wouldn't be many ships available. And as the Kelvin is just returning from its own _months_-long voyage, there most likely isn't any more ships to help investigate." Her eyes narrowed, "The Federation is likely spread thin at the moment, and thus could only spare the one vessel."

**That odd phenomenon was gaining strength and getting larger just as the Kelvin neared, and its entire crew had no idea just how their lives were going to change drastically soon.**

**Back inside, Jaune just stepped out of the turbolift into a short corridor leading up to the main door to the bridge. Immediately, he noticed someone leaning his back against the wall by the door, turning out to be his old classmate from his days in the Starfleet Academy: Lieutenant Lie Ren.**

Nora squealed "Renny!" She glomped a surprised Ren as she babbled on how cool it was to see him there, and as Jaune's friend again. That last part brought a smile to the boy's face, once again seeing how his friendship with Jaune transcends universes.

Odin, seeing how his baby girl was reacting to the boy's older form, wondered if he was right for his little warrior. 'He better be strong enough to protect my little treasure!'

Frigga giggled at how close her daughter is to the boy, wondering if he would be joining the family. 'Yay, grandbabies!'

**"Ren!" Jaune couldn't help but smile, despite his frustrations a moment ago. Ren stood straight and gave Jaune a small smile in return. He was dressed in the Starfleet uniform as well, except that his shirt was white to denote him as part of the science/medical division in contrast to Jaune's command blue. Like Jaune, he also clearly kept himself in good shape. The main difference from the Ren in the audience was that the on-screen version also had his black hair cropped short, though a little longer than Jaune's, with a short magenta strand over his forehead that matched his eyes.**

Nora did notice how generous the formfitting uniform was on older Ren's physique, and blushed as she drooled a bit at seeing her crush's body. 'Oh yeah, mama likes~!' She did remember that she was hugging him, so released him before she could embarrass herself.

Meanwhile, Weiss raised an eyebrow, "Wait, so different colors denotes rank here?"

Jack nodded in confirmation.

As a result many of the heroes, villains, and children all facepalmed. Even Whitley and Willow, who didn't have military or Huntsmen training couldn't help but think that that was a stupid idea.

Cinder hummed in concentration, "Well… I suppose it _would_ be a simpler matter to locate and destroy the leaders at least."

**"You know, when you picked me up at the last stop, I wasn't expecting to be asked to come up here in the middle of my leave to offer my expertise. I guess there's finally an issue that even you can't resolve, Jaune." Ren began with a small but teasing grin. His friend grinned back as they shook hands firmly.**

**"I was off-duty until just a moment ago, so they couldn't make use of my amazing talents lately." Jaune shot back with mock arrogance, before looking a little guilty. "Sorry I couldn't find more time to see you the last couple days, though."**

**Ren shock his head. "It's alright, I completely understand. My wife **_**is**_** almost due with our first child. It's why I'm hitching a ride on this ship back to Remnant in the first place, after all."**

At his other's admittance to being married and expecting, many of Ren's friends stopped to stare at the blushing young man.

Nora held her breath, praying to any and every god that was listening that she was the one married to him. 'Please, let it be me.' She begged as she crossed her fingers and legs together.

Knowing that Nora wasn't going to, Coco took a deep breath and asked Jack. "So, who's the lucky lady?"

Jack rose an eyebrow, as if asking "Isn't it obvious?" He then raised a single finger, and pointed it at a shaking, and blue-faced, Nora.

It took a moment, but when the news registered Nora gasped, releasing the breath she was holding and thus wouldn't suffocate, while Ren became wide-eyed and blushed deeply.

Pyrrha squealed with joy, "I'm so happy for you!" She then went over to hug her two teammates, and in her mind, siblings.

Odin fainted in shock, while Frigga clapped in joy, "Yes, I get to have grandbabies!"

The students all cooed as they went to congratulate the couple for their upcoming child.

Nora blushed from the attention, "B-But, we're not together-together!"

Just then Ren, blushing up a storm, did the one thing she never expected, but secretly hoped he'd do. While he was in Pyrrha's hug, he reached over and tapped her on the nose, "Boop."

Nora looked at him with shock, as Ren smiled at her. She teared up, but tapped his nose back with a large smile. "Boop!"

Their friends cheered, knowing that with this, the ReNora ship had set sail. Pyrrha squealed again, bringing the two closer in her embrace.

Frigga just cooed at the interaction, bringing her palms to her cheek. She was so overjoyed that her baby was together with someone that obviously made her happy. She went over to her daughter, and taking her away from her team, she said "Oh, sweetie, I'm so happy for you! As for you young man." She paused to look to a now nervous looking Ren with a serious expression, before smiling at the boy. "Welcome to the family."

Ren smiled, and nodded in gratitude. But that turned to fear when his new mother-in-law, 'Well, by this point we're already married in all but name', pointed to her husband. "But you'll have to break the news to him… when he wakes up of course."

Ozpin and Glynda smiled, happy that those two are now together.

**"Congratulations! We'll have to get together soon when we're settled in with our new kids." Jaune exclaimed with a big grin, and Ren nodded back in affirmation with a small smile. After a moment, their expressions became serious.**

**"Now, the fact Captain Ironwood had to call you away from your wife means this is likely serious. Any idea?" Ren began in a professional tone.**

**"No clue. Captain didn't tell me anything when he called me." Jaune replied just as seriously.**

**"And I apologize for that. However, we had to act fast and I need help from you both." James Ironwood's voice cut in as his imposing figure stepped out from his ready room next to the bridge's door. Jaune and Ren immediately stood at attention in his presence. Ironwood was dressed in the same command blue Starfleet uniform as Jaune's, though there was a stripe on his right bicep denoting him as the Kelvin's captain.**

James once more groaned at how easy-to-spot his other is in that uniform.

And just like that, the jovial moment that Nora's and Ren's marriage and future child was brought low, and everyone went back to their seats with serious expressions.

**"Now, here's the situation. Five minutes ago, our long-range sensors detected an odd but powerful gravitational fluctuation appearing without reason in space about 75,000 kilometers from the Klingons' border. Its energy readings have been slowly growing stronger since the moment we picked it up, and we have no evidence that this is natural. I just finished speaking with Command, and we've been tasked to get close and document whatever's happening." Ironwood stated as he stood in front of the other two men. Jaune frowned, now understanding why he and his friend had been called back on duty.**

No one understood what a 'gravitational fluctuation' was, but figured that it was bad based on the Captain's tone of voice.

The students were just glad that Jaune understood whatever James had said.

**Jaune Arc, as second-in-command of the Kelvin, was skilled at coming up with tactical decisions on the fly, and always gave the captain sound advice to deal with any situation. The ship's crew also held him in high regard due to his ability to make friends with just about anyone he met, and they would follow him anywhere without question (Ren: "Huh, so like our Jaune.").**

**Lie Ren, being a brilliant science officer with the ability to capture all attention whenever he spoke, was very capable on scientific matters and would offer plausible theories for whatever they might find. His strategic thinking could not be overlooked as well, and many higher-ups were already recommending him for the command line, and eventual ship captaincy (Nora: "That's my Renny!").**

**"That's too close to the border to just overlook this. We'll need to make sure it's not the Klingons trying something, sir." Jaune said firmly, now glad he had been called back in. He would do anything to protect his new family, and a possible issue that could lead to another escalation in the decades-long conflict with the Klingons was enough to get his mental alarms blaring.**

James sighed, but agreed with Winter's assessment that the Federation must be spread out too thin to divert more assets to their location. 'I have a bad feeling about this.'

**"I agree with Lieutenant Commander Arc that we should investigate this, Captain. However, this may not involve the Klingons in any way. Why would they recklessly catch our attention on this side of the border so far from any of their known military installations? There's also no strategic target for them to attack or sabotage in this region. Did the sensors pick up any unknown ship in the vicinity?" Ren added his piece with his brow furrowed in thought.**

Weiss blinked. "That's a great point. Why would these 'Klingons' attack an area that would serve them no purpose?" She thought that attacking from a place that didn't house any military bases was a brilliant move on their part, a way to keep the Federation from catching wind of a possible attack. But if there was no place of significance for them _to_ attack in the first place, then why bother?

Many others nodded in agreement, not seeing how his attack could help them.

Penny hummed. "Unless of course, this attack is a way to distract the Federation." Her statement brought many up short, they hadn't thought of that.

**Ironwood shook his head and turned toward the bridge's door with the other men falling into step behind him.**

**"None that we can pick up, Lieutenant Ren. As far as we know, we're the only ship around for at least two light years. Klingons or not, there are too many unknown variables and we need answers. Be prepared for anything." He stated firmly as the bridge door slid open to admit the three men (Whitley: "Well, you were right sister. The Federation **_**is**_** spread thin."). They were immediately bathed in the nearby red dwarf's blindingly bright light flooding into the bridge through the large viewscreen on the opposite wall from them.**

**The large and circular room was full of many console stations and dozens of displays showing the Kelvin's stats and whatever was going on out in space around them. It was swarming with activity as the bridge crew, consisting of humans, Faunus, and many other alien races, worked together seamlessly to come up with as much information as they could find about the situation happening right now. Despite the commotion going on, Jaune easily overheard the large and stoic-looking comms officer nearby speaking calmly with Starfleet.**

Seeing the smooth interactions between the humans and the other races, including Faunus, had the Faunus in the audience in awe. Hearing it from Jack did nothing to prepare them for actually seeing the unity of the Federation in action. It actually brought many hope that Humanity and Faunus kind could one day achieve peace and unity between them.

**"USS Kelvin, go for Starfleet Base." A male voice came in crisply.**

**"Starfleet Base, we've sent you a transmission. Did you receive?" Yatsuhashi Daichi replied, and there was a click as the call apparently switched to someone else at Starfleet, because a woman's voice began speaking now. The students and teachers in the audience immediately recognized it as belonging to Coco Adel.**

**"**_**Kelvin, have you double-checked these readings**_**?" Coco's voice was professional, but had a clear tone of disbelief.**

Coco could only stare in horror at her other wearing something like the Starfleet uniform. Velvet smiled, seeing her large teammate, and giggled at the look of horror Coco had.

**"I know how it looks, ma'am, but our gravitational sensors are going crazy here." The large man then glanced out through the viewscreen. Jaune followed the gaze, and was surprised to see what looked like electrical storm clouds crackling in space in the far distance, barely visible at the edge of their visual range, though the Kelvin was rapidly getting closer. "You should see this. It looks like a lightning storm from here."**

**"**_**What you've sent us doesn't seem possible**_**." Coco's professional tone finally broke to show bewilderment.**

"That doesn't look good." Roman commented as Neo nodded.

"It's odd to hear Miss Adel's voice be so professional." Glynda said to Oz, the man nodding in astonishment.

Coco looked at her teachers, "Hey, no fair! I can act professional!" At the stern professor's deadpan stare, she blushed as her words didn't sound very professional.

Velvet outright laughed at her statement.

**"Yes, ma'am, I understand. That's why we sent it." Yatsuhashi replied in a dry tone (Nora: "Burn!"). Jaune smirked slightly as he moved to his usual console station to the left of the captain's chair. Ren moved to the science station on the opposite side of the bridge to stand behind a seated officer and look over the shoulder at the data being displayed before him. They glanced at each other and exchanged nods briefly, before returning to their tasks.**

**Meanwhile, Captain Ironwood announced his presence with a firm "Report."**

**Yatsuhashi turned to him. "We'll be in full visual range in ten seconds, captain, and we have a new message from Base."**

**The man's voice Jaune heard at the beginning of the earlier radio communication spoke when the comm officer pressed a button. "**_**Alert Captain Ironwood that Starfleet advises your ship to proceed with caution**_**."**

**The captain nodded stiffly before taking a quick breath.**

**"Polarize the viewscreen." He ordered as he moved toward his captain's chair in the center of the bridge. Immediately, the viewscreen darkened to lessen the harsh glare of the nearby red dwarf flooding into the room, and everyone was able to see better now.**

**"We're now in visual range." the helms officer, Neptune, announced as his hands moved across the console before him.**

**"All stop, Ensign Vasilias." Ironwood ordered as he took his seat and leaned forward to focus his steely gaze at the viewscreen while the blue-haired man rapidly pressed some buttons and pulled back the throttle for impulse power. The Kelvin immediately slowed to a stop just before the developing phenomenon.**

**Now clearly visible on the viewscreen, everyone on the bridge could make out what looked like an ominous-looking black hole in space surrounded by crackling lightning clouds. It gave out a very foreboding feeling.**

"What is that?" Willow asks in awe.

No one had an answer. Well, no answer that was useful anyway. "It's so cool!" Ruby and Nora shouted, not knowing how they'll soon regret opening their big mouths.

**END**

**Woo, oh man, the audience just can't catch a break! First I got them all happy, and next chapter it's gonna be a train wreck! Hope you enjoyed, and thanks again to ****hazeleyes180**** for your story, hope the reactions were satisfactory for you so far :) !**

**Now, as I wrote down for another one's response, here's a list of (full) movies I'm planning on reacting to (not in order and no Marvel listed, pretty sure I already made clear which movies I'm reacting for that):**

**Stargate**

**Troy**

**300 (with changes to make it more epic [and a bit more historically accurate])**

**The Last Samurai**

**Independence Day 2**

**iRobot**

**Little Nicky**

**Die Hard (no sequels)**

**Wall-E**

**Jumanji**

**Indiana Jones (can't decide which, but it's only one of them)**

**Universal Van Hellsing**

**Stargate: Arc of Truth**

**Kung Fu Hustle**

**Rush Hour (no sequels)**

**Dogma**

**Pirates of the Caribbean 2**

**Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory**

**Treasure Planet**

**Starship Troopers (no sequels)**

**South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut**

**Dracula Untold**

**Home Alone**

**And Small Soldiers**

**24 movies, not counting Marvel (32 in total)! At least those I can remember from my previous list/suggestions. As you can see, I got plenty on my plate for full movies to show right now. The reason why I've listed them here is because I want to make absolutely **_**sure**_** that I don't lose this damn list again (lost it twice before). Now, keep in mind that while this is the whole list, it **_**can**_** grow or shrink, since I will most likely add/drop/replace some of them.**

**I forgot to add this last chapter. ****List of current Jaune's children in the Nexus:**

**Neo: Lucy**

**Emerald: Peridot & Garnet**

**Vernal: Amber**

**Raven: Robin**

**Sienna: Altani**

**Glynda: Alice**

**1\. The outfit is a bit boring compared to what the RWBY characters usually wear. The only ones who wear something close to Starfleet are Ilia and Velvet. But the former wore that for infiltration, and later changed into a new outfit anyway, while the latter had more color and personality done for her outfit.**

**2\. A Celtic tiara for weddings, made of silver with a Yellow Zircon jewel (meant to represent her golden hair).**

**3\. Surprising, considering that most of the children were born from Joker-Jaune. But like he said: he's still a Jaune, so he would have **_**some**_** aspects of Jaune that would be sort of universal, like being a decent dad.**

**4\. Sorry for any Star Trek fans, just trying to make the reactions as believable as possible. This is the first time anyone from Remnant has seen a spaceship before, and the design is a little weird to be honest. I know that it's been explained that the ship's engines are so powerful that they would be dangerous to be near, hence why they're external and far away from the main body. I'm just pointing out how the design would look to anyone not familiar with the shows/movies. Keep in mind that Jack had to read from his pad to look up the info for the Federation, so it's obvious that he's not too knowledgeable about this universe. It's actually a clue to how**_** I**_** don't know jack about the lore of this franchise.**


	30. The Kelvin Incident Pt 2

**Chapter 29: "The Kelvin Incident" Pt. 2**

**Yay, new chapter! Sorry for posting late, had to celebrate my birthday a few days ago, which itself took several days to prepare so I didn't have much to work on this. Oh well :P And you guys gave me a wonderful gift too: we reached 1 Million views! Woohoo! You guys are the best! Anyway, onto the revieeeeews!**

**ThatTallGuy****: Hmm, Last Crusade sounds good. Could make the last brother Ozpin with a very long beard. Be pretty funny to see actually.**

**MichaelMyers1234****: That's true, though I might be borrowing a few things from T-Salvation for the Arcs. The autonomous motorbikes looked pretty cool, and I gotta have something to go against Atlas' robot fetish (no giant robots though).**

**Kaiser The Challenger****: Oh my god, I forgot about that movie! Mama Arc gonna be pissed! That movie was so~ cute! My favorite scene was when those kidnappers got their asses handed to them by a **_**caged**_** gorilla. Don't know if I'll make the full movie, but I hope to do a few scenes.**

**TrueMetis****: Yeah, I've been told that. But I gotta ask, in the original series, why would they keep those uniforms on when going planet side on potentially dangerous worlds? Wouldn't wearing something less flashy be the norm in that case? That's why I'm confused, sorry, not much of a Star Trek fan. And while the two may not be the same rank, they're still ranked officers and targeting either would be a major blow to command.**

**Eliphas-Chaos****: You and me both. And I am planning on doing something for LotR, just not any full movies, which is why it's not on the list. It's a secret project I'm working on though, so I won't spoil it.**

**Supersandwiches****: the movie Logan (and the X Men) are dead. Had them worked out for the most part, down to its last scenes, but the crash deleted all my progress.**

**TheGreatSeeker****: live action. Didn't even know they made animation sequels, or a cartoon show. I only watched the 3 movies (the second one was shit in my opinion), and I thought that, plus the book, was it.**

**BlackPhantom247****: Bwahahahaha! Oh man, that image is gonna be stuck in my head for a good long while! Got it, thanks :)**

**Hecseferblade****: Huh. That's actually not a bad idea, might make that in an AU one day. Sounds adorable.**

**Lonely Boy****: I have something planned for Jaune with characters from Bleach.**

**Lord Dominusautem Tempus****: Glad you liked the inclusion, wanted to give the viewers something to smile at. The Titanic: they would cry, again, at the sinking scene. I tried to react Aladdin, but I scrapped that when I read more of the script. Haven't played Bioshock or watched Sonic (I assume the movie?).**

**BusterBlue12****: Yeah I'm planning on taking some stuff out, like the Gorgo scene (damn it ****Snyder, I know that was yours****). No elephant charge, no monster goat… thing, no gunpowder (those things were grenades, NOT magic), and no Theron!**

**Lightning Lord Kaji****: Trying to do something with that, but only a specific scene or two, so it's not on the list of full movies.**

**JustAnotherGuest****: First off, thank you for the name. Already have something in mind for a movie regarding Morgan Freeman: "Velvet, I am God." "When you leave this building, you will be endowed, will **_**all**_** my powers." I'll give three guesses where those quotes came from, as well as who's playing Freeman ;)**

**DentingZero4****: Hmm, hadn't thought of that, but it sounds awesome!**

**Guest****: I actually have no idea, it just popped up one day and now everyone does it. I **_**think**_** it was mentioned in the show that Jaune likes dinosaur chicken nuggets, but I don't know. And if that is the case, does that mean that dinosaurs are a thing in the RWBY-verse? And if they exist, wouldn't Grimm versions too? The rabbit hole just goes deeper and deeper with these questions.**

**bagus joy****: Because Hans said that they weren't terrorists, and I could think of no other villain that could make that argument. Plus, a lot of others are gonna be her crew. Adam: Crazy brother, Raven: Agent Smith (Qrow's the other one), Watts: computer hacker, Blake: younger dead brother; so on and so forth. Plus, I want Sienna to have her time to shine, and what better way than one of the most smooth-talking villains ever?**

**GhostRipperD31H****: First: thank you for the review, really made my day when I read it. As for reactions, I don't know anything about The Punisher, sorry; and I'm already in the process of having Jaune be a villain again in several possible future. One is going to be more focused on his daughter as she wants to create her own mark on the universe, I just need to make Stargate first so that some of what the audience sees makes sense. Another is where he's a very dangerous, and pissed, dragon. The last one I have in the works is a baby Jaune angry at a dog with Qrow's voice over money he'd owed.**

**Perseus12****: Already working on their characters, just need the proper opportunity to show them. Got the mom, dad, and two of his sisters (which make 3 out of 7).**

**I've also read a bunch of similar reviews regarding this topic, so to answer all of them at once: the Jumanji I'm planning on reacting to is the original one from 1995.**

**There, hoo boy that was a lot of reviews to go through. The glitch temporarily happened again. Couldn't get any of your guys' responses past July 8****th****, then suddenly I just got a HUGE review dump the day before I posted this. That was **_**fun**_**. Anyway, onto the show!**

**Disclaimer in the prologue.**

**"What are we seeing here?" Ironwood spoke, his tone demanding information.**

**"Captain, the only thing that makes sense from these readings is that this phenomenon is showing visual signs of a singularity forming. But the sensors' data are not correlating with what we are actually looking at. Even the current gravitational readings is too weak for a 'black hole' of this size." the very alien-looking science officer with a large crustacean head and beady black eyes working at his station spoke up in a warbling tone. Ren frowned as he glanced over the officer's shoulder at the display.**

"…What?" The audience couldn't make heads or tails of what that guy said. So they just ignored that, and instead looked at the alien dude with awe. 'Another alien! Cool!'

Watts and Terra could understand bits and pieces of it, but it still went over their heads. Something that pissed off the former very much.

**"I concur. However, as we are not experiencing the intense effects similar to other singularities we've encountered in the past ,even at this distance, I hesitate to give this one a similar term."**

"What?" Nora was confused by what her hubby '*Squeal*' just said, and looked to him for answers.

Ren shrugged, not getting it either. 'I got a bad feeling though.' He hugged Nora closer to him in worry, not seeing the large smile on her face nor blush on her cheeks as he did so.

**"So, this is leaning strongly toward not being of a natural occurrence." Jaune spoke up as his kept his eyes trained on the growing phenomenon. (Coco: "Ok, **_**that**_** I understood. Thanks Jaune.")**

**"It's also likely not of Klingon origins, Lieutenant Commander." Ren replied as if to cut off Jaune's train of thought regarding any Klingon threat. Captain Ironwood glanced over at the black-haired man.**

**"Please elaborate, Lieutenant Ren."**

**"From what we know of the Klingons, they are more focused on imperialistic expansion and increasing their overall military might. Any scientific and technological advancements were usually the results of them pillaging from other alien species, including us, in the past. They have little interest in research and exploration, a field that we can safely say the Federation is vastly superior at this time. Any research involving singularities would just be too advanced and esoteric for them. This location near their border is very likely a mere coincidence." Ren explained concisely as Ironwood nodded his head in acceptance. It made sense for the moment.**

Ruby and Yang had swirly eyes from the explanation, their brains hurting. Coco sighed, as did Velvet.

Blake and Weiss were a bit annoyed that they couldn't understand what was being said, cursing their world's limited scientific scope on the universe.

Nora just grinned, ignoring the explanation, and just marveling at how smart her Renny was.

The older heroes didn't like the methods which these Klingons went about advancing their technology.

**"So, we're seeing a black hole, but not feeling it?" Jaune summarized easily enough.**

**"Maybe we're looking at the back of it?" Neptune spoke up with a weak chuckle, knowing he was making a stupid joke (Yang: "Booo!"). Several crew members, including Jaune, smirked for a moment However, that was enough to get Ren's attention, and he stepped up next to the captain's chair, his magenta eyes focused completely on the 'black hole' with the gears in his mind spinning rapidly. (Nora: "Go smart Renny!" "Heeyy.")**

**"That's actually a good suggestion, ensign. Only that we're not seeing its 'back', but rather we're likely looking at what the actual singularity somewhere else far away may be spitting out here."**

**"Wait, I was right?!" Neptune blurted in disbelief, getting brief chuckles from most of the bridge crew.**

The children giggled at the man's confused face.

**"You are implying that this could be a wormhole, lieutenant." Captain Ironwood exclaimed incredulously as he leaned back into his chair and steepled his hands in thought. As far as he knew, they never recorded one that looked similar to a 'black hole' before.**

James blinked, "What's a Wormhole?"

Jack smirked, just knowing that no one would understand this. "A 'Wormhole' is the broad term used to describe any tunnel running through the space-time continuum that could go instantly from one point in space to another many thousands of lightyears away; or to a different time period in rare cases. Wormholes are _supposed to be_ rare, usually unstable, and hard to research." (1)

Just as he thought, no one understood a word of that. Though a few like Penny were trying, 'Oh, now that's just precious~'. Susanoo chuckled at what his master did.

**"For now until something changes, that's what I believe to be a plausible theory, captain." Ren answered. Ironwood shifted his gaze from Ren to his science officer.**

**"Ensign Aar'yna, begin a deep scan of this phenomenon on every possible spectrum. Record every single bit of data you can grab."**

**"On it, captain." the alien immediately responded as his clawed hands moved around his console in almost a blur.**

**"Many Starfleet scientists will be very grateful for a chance at analyzing this, captain." Ren spoke with a small smile, getting a nod from Ironwood.**

"I guess something like that _would_ be like a birthday gift for those nerds." Roman mocked, earning a swift kick to the shins by Lucy while Neo laughed.

Watts glared at the man, very much wanting to know how the phenomena works and the potential applications.

Penny and Terra blushed. 'I very much would like to go over their research.' They thought.

**"I don't really have the mind for science, but even I can see how this might advance our understanding of the universe; even if it's by only a small fraction." James admitted with an unsure shrug.**

**"It'd still be a small fraction more than what we've had before." (Ozpin: "Any amount of knowledge can be useful.")**

**A quiet but excited chatter filled the bridge as the crew worked to try to learn more about the phenomenon, until Jaune had to speak up a minute later with a worried frown on his face.**

**"So...is there going to be anything coming out on this end?" his question, directed at Ren, was enough to quiet the room into a nervous silence (Penny: "That is an excellent point considering what Jack explained."). Ren took a moment to gather his thoughts and was about to speak when a loud beep came from the science station, along with the science officer's yelp.**

**"The gravitational readings are spiking! They're off the charts!"**

Everyone became to worry about that.

"That does not sound good." Mercury murmured.

Yang had a terrible feeling settling in her gut. 'Please, let it not be what I think it is.'

**To accompany that, the deck under their feet began to vibrate violently and loud rumbling spread throughout the entire ship. At the same time, the black hole on the now flickering viewscreen suddenly expanded to a massive size, and the lightning around it went wild. Then, something began to emerge from its dark center.**

**"Captain, a-are you seeing this?" Neptune choked out, his eyes widening. Everyone else on the bridge were having the same reaction to what was happening on the viewscreen.**

**"Brothers…" Ironwood breathed out in disbelief as he watched what looked like many enormous, long, and sinister-looking metallic spires come into existence, and there seemed to be no end to them as more and more of them kept coming out of the black hole. The ship's vibrations continued to intensify, seemingly knocking Jaune out of his trance first before anyone else.**

The heroes grew more and more terrified as whatever was coming out of the wormhole just didn't seem to have an end to it. Even the villains couldn't help but feel small at the sheer behemoths that were still spilling out. Though Saphron and Salem twitched at the mention of the gods.

**"Captain, we need to move to ready state at least!" his firm shout seemed to knock Ironwood out of his daze as well.**

**"Yellow alert! Shields up!" he ordered sharply, sending the bridge into controlled chaos as people rushed to their stations and all nonessential crew members immediately left the bridge. Strips of yellow light began blinking on bulkheads and corridors throughout the entire ship, alerting its crew to follow their training and get to their designated zone. Meanwhile Jaune put on a comm headset and manned the weapons station, while Ren took a free seat to brace himself.**

**The blonde's hands blurred across his console, first activating the ship's shields with a loud burst of static that could be heard in the bridge. An instant later, there were some slight whirring and clunking felt by everybody through the deck underneath their feet as the Kelvin's impressive armament of phaser banks and photon torpedo launchers came to life just under their covers all over the ship, ready to pop out and unleash hell if needed.**

Everyone was surprised by the number of weapons being readied. Though Ruby wanted to go over and see what kinds of guns the ship had.

"Isn't that ship supposed to be a science or civilian vessel of some kind?" Winter asked in shock with James nodding in agreement. Both remembering the _expecting_ _mother_ still on board. 'Why would they allow a pregnant woman onboard a military ship if that wasn't the case?'

Jack raised an eyebrow, "What's your point?"

Winter felt her eye twitch at this Qrow-esc response while said drunk just laughed.

**Out in space, while the USS Kelvin's crew were busy scrambling to their stations, more of the massive spires was still emerging from the black hole at an agonizingly slow and dread-inducing pace. The audience could see how the hole had the object still emerging from one side, while there were absolutely nothing on the other. It seemed to prove Ren's earlier theory of this object possibly coming here from somewhere else.**

**Finally, the entirety of what the audience now realized was a single object came into view with the hole closing up and disappearing as if it wasn't even there in the first place. It was enormous and egg-shaped at about eight kilometers long, easily dwarfing the USS Kelvin like an elephant looming over a gnat. If size was all it had, it would have been a terrifying sight to face, but its many black and evil-looking spires extending from its dark mass at its aft like a fierce-looking squid was enough to push the initial terror into true despair.**

**It took a moment for everyone to realize this sinister and organic-looking object was actually a ship. And an enormous one at that.**

The audience was silent, absolutely terrified by the sheer size of this ship. 'That thing's a ship?!'

Ruby hugged her mom in fear, while Yang fought a lump growing in her throat.

Nora was hugging Ren in fear, perhaps a bit tightly as the poor boy was feeling his spine creak.

The other students were shivering in their seats while the other heroes were staring at the colossal monstrosity in fear.

The children went the Ruby route and hugged their mothers for protection.

The villains wanted to crawl under their seats. Salem, while a bit afraid, wondered how to create a Grimm likeness of this for her uses. 'If everyone, including myself, are afraid of this _thing_ now, I can only imagine the people of Remnant reacting to a Grimm version.'

After a few minutes trying to regain some level of composer, everyone finally calmed down enough to actually feel the atmosphere of the nexus returning to bleak. 'Great…'

**The view of both ships with the red dwarf in the background showed the audience just how hopeless it would be for the Federation starship if the new ship turned out to be hostile. ("Those guys are **_**boned**_**." "Shut up Merc!")**

**Back inside the bridge, everyone was dead silent for a long moment, everyone seemingly holding their breath at the sight of the new ship filling the viewscreen. A few even thought it was like looking into the toothy maw of an eldritch-horror version of a giant metallic squid.**

**"Comms, be ready to send a distress signal to Starfleet." Captain Ironwood whispered, as if trying to not startle the beast in front of them. Behind him, Yatsuhashi gave a loud gulp in answer as his stoic expression broke to allow some nervous sweating. His slightly shaking hand hovered over the call button. (Coco: "Crap, even the big guy is scared!")**

**An alarm blared loudly, startling everyone into action.**

**"I have a reading!" Neptune announced sharply. "They've locked weapons!"**

"Oh shit." Qrow said, dreading how powerful that thing's weapons were. A few were offering prayers for who they saw were doomed men and women.

**"Red alert!" Ironwood declared, now sending the entire ship into battle mode.**

**"Torpedoes locked on us at 320 degrees, mark 2!" Jaune announced as his hands flew over the console to prepare the ship's phaser banks for point defense. On the viewscreen, many phaser banks and torpedo launchers popped out all over the bow of the Kelvin's saucer-like hull, charging up to fire. Meanwhile two random points on the massive ship's spires flared with flash fire as its own torpedoes had already launched with insane speed. "Incoming fast!"**

Pyrrha blinked in shock by how many weapons this small ship had. "That's a surprising number of weapons."

Ruby scratched her head. "Yeah, it is. But why is the scary ship only firing from two points when it should have enough to just overwhelm them?"

Yang glared at her sister. "You _want_ my hubby to get overwhelmed by weapons?"

The girl shook her head as her eyes widen, "N-No! I, I just meant that a ship of that size should've just unlea- I-I'll just shut up now." She blushed and looked back at the screen when her dear older sister's eyes flashed red.

No one missed the term the girl used, but ignored it for the battle playing out before them.

**"Arm torpedoes for return fire!" even as Ironwood ordered this, he and Jaune could tell the enemy fire would hit their ship long before they could fire anything off. With that in mind, he shouted a follow-up to Neptune.**

**"Evasive Pattern Delta-Five!"**

**The ensign quickly obeyed as the ship turned sharply to starboard and down, trying to get out of the torpedoes' path (Velvet : "Wow, that is some sharp maneuvering."). Everyone braced for impact while Jaune was desperately trying to aim the searing red phaser beams at the approaching torpedoes to knock them out of space. To his horror, the two torpedoes suddenly split into sixteen smaller warheads that sped up even more while nimbly avoiding the frantic phaser fire (Yang: "Shit! There were multiple torpedoes inside?!"). Some missed due to the Kelvin's evasive maneuver, but the rest still impacted and exploded all over the port side of the saucer-like primary hull, punching through the shields easily.**

**Even with the shields at full power, the bridge gave a violent lurch almost knocking everyone out of their seats with some consoles sparkling all around them. Throughout the ship, fire ripped through entire corridors and rooms engulfing some unfortunate crewmen, and the entire engineering section seemed to be going up in explosions with screaming bodies being tossed everywhere.**

A lot of people were afraid to ask how those torpedoes were able to severely damage a ship whose shields were at full power. 'Just how powerful were those things?' Many thought as they saw multiple hull breaches.

**Meanwhile, down at the sickbay, Yang yelped in fear as she curled up on her bed and wrapped her arms around her swollen belly for the baby's protection while the entire ship shook violently around her with the overhead lights flickering ominously. An instant later, Doctor Laxi and Velvet burst into her room with a wheelchair. ("I forgot about my sister and niece/nephew!" "My baby and grandbaby!")**

**"We need to prepare for possible evacuation." Laxi spoke calmly even as her large and expressive brown eyes displayed clear tension. Velvet was at Yang's side, helping her move off the bed.**

**"W-w-what's going on?! Is my husband alright?!" Yang strained to say as she dropped into the chair.**

**Laxi shook her head. "I'm sorry, but we don't know. Right now, our priority is the safety of you and your child. We'll figure out what's happening when we're not in immediate danger." She replied as she and Velvet rolled Yang out of the room into the large sickbay.**

**Yang could see the bay's staff were preparing to evacuate and receive any possible causality. Not even five seconds later, the sickbay's door slid open to admit a coughing soot-covered man she knew in passing as Fox Alistair carrying someone in a fireman's carry. Both Yangs gasped when the second man was laid down on a gurney to reveal almost half his face nearly burned off. She had a good feeling that wasn't going to be the only casualty the sickbay would be dealing with.**

The children looked away from the grisly sight, some green in the face from the image.

The heroes who remembered that universe with the evil Jaune shivered at the sight, James especially felt sick from the indirect reminder of his other self.

Whitley turned to the side and threw up, his mother joining soon after. Klein and Maria got up and immediately went over to help the two.

Kali and Frigga gasped at the sight, their husbands (after Odin finally woke his ass up) hugging them close to their chests to block the view.

Yang hoped that her other was wrong, but she knew that it was impossible.

**They were proven right only a moment later as more severely injured crewmen began to file into the sickbay at an alarming rate. She desperately hoped her husband wouldn't be one of them. She desperately wanted to call up Jaune on a comm, but she knew her regulations: keep personal calls to a minimum during a possible hostile situation to avoid distractions. 'Damn these fucking rules!' She thought angerly, but tried to calm herself down (Tai: "Yeah, calm down! There's nothing you can do in your condition!"). She just needs to be patient for now, but someone else had different plans.**

**"Oh!" she groaned harshly in pain, her hands clutching onto her belly. Velvet snapped her attention to the blonde at the sound.**

**"What's wrong, Yang?" she asked calmly, hoping that wasn't what she thought it was.**

**"The baby! I think it's ready to get out!" Yang panted out as she gritted through another sharp contraction. Velvet and Laxi exchanged gazes behind her. Their stunned expressions shared one single thought about this incredibly poor timing.**

**'Oh shit!'**

Yang gulped, nervously rubbing her own belly in worry for the child her other was carrying. Tai prayed that his grandkid would be safe.

The mothers were afraid for the child, knowing that any number of complications could arise with the battle waged all around her.

Raven, Summer, and Tai were afraid for their grandchild, silently pleading for Yang to survive, and the birth to go well.

**Back at the Bridge, "Damage report!" Ironwood spoke into his chair's armrest intercom as everyone in the bridge quickly recovered from the hit and got back to their stations.**

**Down in the engineering section, Sun, the chief engineer, was covered in soot, grime, and sweat as he rapidly read over the ship's status on his console's screen even as the entire area was aflame around him (James: "He is one damn good engineer."). He spoke into his handheld communicator.**

**"Warp Drive's gone with that hit, captain! Never seen anything like this!"**

Despite herself, Penny couldn't help but ask "What is a Warp Drive?" But no one cared to answer at the moment.

**The stomachs of everyone on the bridge dropped like lead bricks. Without Warp Drive, there was no escape from this massive ship. Jaune whispered a despairing "No." as he immediately thought of his wife and child in danger on this crippled ship (Tai: "If you were that worried about her, then you shouldn't have let your **_**pregnant**_** wife onboard!" [2]). Ren closed his eyes, wondering if he would ever make back home to Nora and their unborn child.**

Ren was wondering the same thing, when his face was grabbed by a pissed off Nora.

The mad bomber glared at Ren, "Don't think like that, Ren. Trust in Jaune, he _will_ make sure to get you home." She leaned in a bit, whispering "And to me."

Ren smiled, and lightly kissed her on the lips, the two of them blushing like mad as their hearts beat a bit faster. "Thanks Nora, I needed that." The girl smiled, and snuggled his neck. The two comforting each other as they went back to viewing the screen.

**"**_**Torpedo tubes are down for the moment, but phasers are still working! Shield's down to 38%! We'll get the torpedoes back up soon enough**_**!" Sun reported before signing off to try to fix the damages with his men.**

James swore, knowing that without torpedoes, there's little the ship can do to retaliate. And without this Warp Drive device, they cannot escape.

**Before anyone could say anything, another alarm blared.**

**"They're firing again!" Neptune shouted as he tried to move the sluggish ship out of the way, but it was too late. Two more torpedoes were already launched and halfway to the Kelvin.**

**"All power to forward shields!" Ironwood barked as he braced himself in his chair. Jaune, now more aware of the torpedoes' capabilities, began firing the ship's phasers much sooner to try to knock them out before they split. The audience were amazed by the firepower the smaller ship still possessed despite the damages it sustained.**

**He managed to get one as it exploded harmlessly in space, but before the audience could cheer, the other one had gotten close enough and splintered into several more warheads that whizzed around the more frantic phaser fire, before they strafed over the bow part of the saucer section in more fiery explosions.**

"And this is only with a few of those torpedoes." A pale Penny whispered, calculating as best she could that the enemy would certainly decimate an entire fleet with that weapon system alone. 'And who knows what else it has still hidden from view.'

Most were hoping that no one else was harmed by this latest strike.

**One unlucky yeoman, Mercury, was in the wrong place at the wrong time when the bulkhead behind him was vaporized from the latest barrage. Unfortunately for him, this exposed the corridor he was into open space. He screamed as he grabbed and tried to hold on to a metal beam while the vacuum sucked everything around him out, before he lost his grip a second later. There was absolute silence as the view followed him into vacuum, his now deceased body slamming into a phaser bank on the saucer's hull as it fired more beams toward the enemy ship, before careering off into the vast emptiness of space.**

Mercury paled as he not only witnessed the sudden death of his other by decompression, but witnessing first-hand that in the vacuum of space of this reality, no one could hear his screams as he flew off into oblivion. (3)

Emerald and Cinder actually felt bad enough for the guy, that they placed a hand on either side of his shoulders in support. To not hear a man's death screams as he floats away into the dark expanse, it was too chilling for even Cinder to not shiver in fear.

**Back in the bridge, it was pandemonium as many crewmembers were shouting reports over each other.**

**"Atmospheric stabilization has been lost!"**

**"Were our shields even up?!"**

**"Oxygen falling on decks seven through thirteen!"**

**"We have confirmed casualties, sir!"**

**"Shields are at eleven percent! Ten. Nine. We're still dropping Captain!" Jaune reported as he turned to Ironwood.**

As more reports were announced, everyone felt more and more helpless. Jaune's report of the shield strength had his friends wishing that they could go and at least pull him out of there.

James, Winter, and Ozpin knew that the ship was done. It fought as well as it could, but now James' other needs to think of the survival of his remaining crew and order the evacuation. 'The question is would the enemy allow them.' They all thought. 'With the ship sustaining so much damage, and the enemy still at full strength, there's little they'd need to do to destroy any escape shuttles.'

**"Reroute all remaining power you can get to forward shields." James ordered. "Prepare shuttles for evacuation."**

**"I've never seen technology like this before." Ren whispered as he stared in horrified fascination at the ship filling up the viewscreen. Surprisingly, it wasn't taking any further action.**

**All the displays in the bridge became staticky for a moment, catching everyone's attention. Someone was hacking into the ship's comm system, and quite easily too! (Blake: "That cannot be good.")**

**"Captain! They've jammed all subspace communication in the region. I did manage to get a distress signal out beforehand, however brief it was." Yatsuhashi announced, getting a grim nod from the captain.**

"Oh no!" Pyrrha and Ruby gasped in horror.

Coco growled, "Damn those fuckers, now the ship's stranded, and without a way to call for help!"

Saphron prayed, "Sacred Pillars, please watch over them." She knew that there was little chance of any of them surviving now.

"Shit!" Yang cursed. Then she heard Saphron's prayer. 'Please, to any gods that's listening, protect my Jaune.' She began to tear up, her mind going back to the beginning of the view, where her older other was so excited at being a mother, and how happy Jaune was at being a father. She remembered the crown that she asked for, and took it off. 'Anyone…' She looked at the thing, thumbing the symbol of the Arcs in the middle of it, just above the jewel. 'Sacred Pillars…'

**Everyone then noticed the main screen in the bridge screeching for an instant, before a grainy video feed popped up on it to show an image of a pale, bald, and unshaven male with pointy ears and tribal-like tattoos across his face. Many in the bridge glared at the screen, recognizing him as a Romulan; a species that the Federation has had rocky relations with in the past like the Klingons.**

The heroes and some of the villains all glared at the screen, at this man, for firing unprovoked and killing so many people and endangering an expecting mother.

**Ironwood rose out of his chair with a menacing scowl.**

**"Hello. My commander requests the presence of your captain in order to negotiate a ceasefire. You will come aboard our ship via shuttlecraft." the Romulan declared in a tone that said he knew he had everyone by the balls. "Refusal would be...unwise." (Neo: "Such a fucking asshole!")**

**The feed abruptly shut off at that ominous threat, and the entire bridge fell into tense silence as all crew stared anxiously at the captain standing alone by his chair. James Ironwood looked contemplative as he stared ahead for a long moment, before he seemed to accept a decision. He glanced down at Jaune by his side.**

**"Walk with me." he requested in a quiet tone as he turned to leave the bridge. Jaune stood and walked after him, exchanging a worried glance with Ren as he left the bridge.**

"He's actually going to do it?" Ilia asked in shock, feeling like this whole thing was a trap.

Sienna shook her head as she stroked her daughter's hair, "He has no choice, the ship cannot survive another hit from those torpedoes." She too felt that this was a trap, with Eve nodding in agreement. None of the White Fang liked the Romulan for his attitude after attacking a ship of a government that succeeded what they fought so long for.

**They walked in silence through the corridor toward the turbolift for a few seconds before Ironwood began speaking.**

**"If I don't report in fifteen minutes, evacuate the crew." (Eve: "Smart, for a Human.")**

**"Sir, we could issue…" Jaune tried to speak wanting to prevent his captain, a man he respected very much, from giving himself up. They were also breaking around twenty Starfleet regulations involving a captain putting himself into a hostage situation alone.**

James smiled a bit, a bit happy that his other was this respected, but he knew his duty. 'I need to think of the safety of the crew. And if one life is needed, even if it's my own, then it's a price I'm willing to pay.'

**"There is no help for us out here." Ironwood rebuked firmly. "We have to save everyone on this ship and if this is the only way to buy us more time, then this is what I need to do. It's a blessing they specifically asked for shuttle transport; beaming over wouldn't have given us any time at all."**

**"Captain, you're dead the moment you set foot on that ship." Jaune stated bluntly. He knew the Romulans' 'ceasefire negotiations' were bullshit; that wasn't going to take place at all. They wanted something specific from Ironwood, and he would outlive his usefulness when they got it.**

**"I'm aware of that." the Captain stated as if he already accepted his fate. His expression and voice never wavered as he stepped into the turbolift and turned around to look Jaune in the eyes. (James: "His life isn't worth the lives of his crew, he knows this.")**

**"Use autopilot, and get everyone the hell off this ship."**

**Jaune straightened up, and gave a small salute. "Aye, Captain."**

Winter saluted the man onscreen, followed by the other Schnees, Huntsmen, students, children, and strangely White Fang. They know that he's going to the enemy, expecting to die, but they couldn't help but admire his bravery.

**"You're the Captain now, Mr. Arc." James declared as if this wasn't a temporary command. The Kelvin truly was Jaune's to command now for however long its life remained. Jaune understood this, and accepted the baton pass with a resolute nod. (James: "You have your orders, Mr. Arc. Make my other proud.")**

**Ironwood nodded back with a calm smile, knowing his former crew were in good hands now. The turbolift door closed.**

**Jaune stared at the door for a long moment, his expression changing into a determined glare. He had to save everyone still on this ship, including his wife and child, and he would accomplish that goal no matter what.**

James and Winter smiled, knowing the people would be in good hands. Though the latter did blush a bit by the man's expression.

**With that single goal in mind, he turned back toward the bridge, until he stopped a few feet from the door. His hand twitched, wanting to reach for his communicator so he could call up Yang and personally confirm that she and their child were safe. He shook his head of that desperate need, understanding that someone would've contacted him if anything happened to his wife already. He'd just have to trust the sickbay staff to do everything they could to keep her safe.**

**Taking a deep breath to expel any self-doubt, he straightened his uniform. With focus of his duty at hand, he continued forward.**

**A moment later saw Jaune strode back into the sparking and smoke-filled bridge. Every eye in the room shifted to him upon entrance as he stopped by the Captain's chair and stared at it in silence for a moment. With a nod, he took his seat with a smooth movement like he had been doing it for years. No one in the bridge rose an objection; they all understood he was in command as of this moment, and would follow his orders. Ensign Daichi was already relaying the change of command to all departments on his console with no hesitation.**

His friends were amazed at how the people just accepted Jaune's place as their Captain so easily. The teachers were impressed, seeing the trust in everyone's eyes for the young man.

**Ren stepped up to his side, silently offering his support. Jaune glanced up at him briefly, before smirking slightly.**

**"Ren, you're not even supposed to be here with us; you should've been preparing to evacuate with the others by now." he pointed out in a quiet tone. Ren shook his head with a small smile.**

**"I know, but I want to help an old friend out for a little while longer, Jaune " he whispered back.**

Ren nodded, "You can't get rid of me that easily, Jaune."

Nora and Pyrrha nodded in agreement. The former grinned, "JNPR to the end!"

**Jaune nodded his thanks, before glancing around at many of his crewmen as they awaited his words.**

**"At this moment, Captain Ironwood is boarding the enemy ship to buy us time. I'm under no illusion that this 'ceasefire' will last long, so we'll be preparing for full evacuate just in case they start attacking us again. That said, Ensign Vasilias, I want you to prep the autopilot to ensure that this ship stays between our evacuating shuttles and the enemy's fire no matter what." He shakes his head. "Don't even think about evasion; just make sure this ship absorbs as many of those torpedoes as it can."**

Oz nodded, "A good plan."

Qrow grumbled. "At least the saucer shape would be good for something."

**Neptune nodded his head and began preparing the automation program on his console. "Yes, Captain."**

**Jaune tapped the armrest intercom on his chair.**

**"Bridge to engineering, update status?"**

**"**_**Warp drive's smashed to bits with no chance of recovery, Captain. At least we got the torpedoes working and the shields are back up to around 40%, sir.**_**" Sun's voice replied dutifully. Jaune nodded.**

**"Forget the warp drive and divert all power from nonessential systems to forward and dorsal shields. The hanger must be protected at all cost." he ordered, making sure to vaguely imply over the possibly-hacked intercom that they were preparing to evacuate by putting emphasis on the word 'hanger'.**

The heroes winced at the state of the ship, but at least it had its weapons online and the shields were at least ½ strength. 'But will it be enough?'

**"**_**Aye, captain!**_**" After his quick affirmative, Sun disconnected the intercom to do what his Captain ordered with a renewed determination.**

**Turning off the intercom, Jaune glanced back at Yatsuhashi. "Ensign Daichi, initiate the visual alert for general evacuation throughout the ship, and make sure the saucer section is emptied first."**

**The large man replied with a "Yessir!" as he tapped a few buttons. At that moment, the strips of blinking red alert lights throughout the ship began to blink a bright yellow, white, and red in an alternating pattern. Most of the ship's crew immediately began preparing to evacuate in an orderly fashion, awaiting the final command to shift into action soon.**

James hummed in approval. "Clever, a visual alert for evacuation instead of an alarm. Would certainly help limit the chances of the enemy finding out if they hacked their communications again." Winter nods, already taking notes for future trails when they get back home.

**"Good idea with the visual alert, instead of announcing it over the ship's intercom, Captain." Ren spoke with a knowing tone.**

**"They hacked into our comm system and could be listening in now, so I'd rather not give them any reason to attack us early if they think we're breaking this so-called 'cease-fire' first." Jaune explained as he glanced over at the science officer.**

**"Ensign Aar'yna, was that deep scan procedure still active when the ship came through?"**

**The alien-looking officer nodded his head almost excitedly. "Aye Captain. We have every detail of that ship, almost down to the individual atom before it attacked."**

**"Good. Load every single bit of that data, and everything about the wormhole too, onto a probe. Program it to launch when the shuttles begin evacuating. That probe must get back to the Federation no matter what." Jaune ordered, making the ensign nod rapidly as he began copying the data. The blonde then glanced back at Ren.**

**"I take it you've looked over some of the data?"**

**Ren nods, "Yes. From what I managed to discern, that vessel is a mining type, or it used to be one."**

The audience was shocked. A mining ship? This vessel with such powerful and advanced technology had been handed its own ass by a MINNING ship?!

Ruby stuttered, "T-That's not possible."

Penny gulped, "Maybe it was heavily modified?" If it wasn't, then she didn't want to think about the power of a dedicated warship.

A few others prayed that was the case, otherwise the Federation may not survive.

**Jaune stared at his friend incredulously for a moment.**

**"So we got our asses kicked by a Romulan mining ship?" he choked out quietly, and Ren gave a helpless shrug.**

**"Based on the scans, just over a third of that ship's mass is made up of an enormous spool used to lower and energize a powerful laser drilling system. It is a typical equipment of any ship designed for deep atmospheric mining from orbit. Clearly, it has been heavily modified; likely an experimental prototype considering we're only seeing one active weapon system on it." he explained his reasoning. Jaune and the audience sighed, the latter in relief.**

**"Well, they only needed three of those torpedoes to reduce us to this state. Just how the hell did they manage to advance their technology so much without us noticing? Last I checked, both the Romulans and Federation were about dead even." (Glynda: "That **_**is**_** worrying.")**

**Ren frowned. "I'm not sure if they're the Romulans we usually know. So far, the ones we've met before today were militaristic, stoic, and disciplined. The Romulan we saw on the screen a moment ago displayed none of those traits with how he looked and acted. In fact, he looked to be a part of an independent crew." He explained with his eyebrows furrowed in thought.**

**"An independent crew with a ship that could take on the whole of Starfleet?" Jaune pointed out flatly, and Ren nodded with a grim expression.**

**"It certainly is worrying." (Emerald: "Yeah, no shit.")**

**"Alright, we'll figure out who they are and why they attacked us later. What's important right now is the evacuation. We need to slow that ship down however we can. Any ideas?"**

**Ren looked out the viewscreen in thought. "A ship of that size cannot be fully shielded without multiple power cores." He slowly explained. "So far, we've only detected one. It is powerful compared to ours, but it is still impossible to adequately shield a ship of that size." He reported.**

**"So most of those spires are unprotected, while the shielding would be at its strongest around the main hull at the aft." Jaune concluded with a nod, before he glanced at Neptune.**

Several people blinked at the man's fast deduction.

"Man, Jaune is smart." Coco said, the other students nodding in agreement.

Pyrrha and Yang grinned with pride.

**"Ensign Vasillas, can you identify where their torpedoes would be fired from on those spires?"**

**"Yes, Captain. I have them all on sight." Neptune replied as he typed a few commands, and the HUD overlay on the large viewscreen began pointing out multiple launchers all over the massive ship's many spires.**

Everyone grimaced at the multiple launchers displayed on the ship. If 3 torpedoes were enough to severely cripple one ship, then with the number of launchers shown it could destroy an entire fleet with little difficulty.

**"When you're done with the ship's automation, program our launchers to aim two photon torpedoes each at as many of those you can target when they begin firing again. We should be able to knock at least a few out, giving us more time before they destroy this ship. Lastly, have all phaser banks focus on swatting any incoming torpedo out of space." Jaune ordered, getting an affirmative from Neptune. The blonde then leaned back into his chair, and glanced at his friend standing to his side.**

James nodded, it was a sound plan and one he might have made if he was familiar with the technology of the ship.

Everyone hoped it would be enough.

**"Am I doing everything right, Ren?" he whispered, making sure to avoid demoralizing his bridge crew any further with his nervousness and self-doubt. Ren gave a small smile.**

**"In my opinion, you're already doing fantastic with what we currently have at hand. Don't doubt yourself, Captain." he replied, making sure to address Jaune with the proper title to show his confidence.**

Ren and their friends nodded in agreement. "You're doing fine so far Jaune, don't doubt yourself."

**Jaune nodded and steepled his hands on the chair's armrests, now forced to wait on whatever happens with James soon.**

**"A shuttle's launching." Neptune softly announced a moment later. Everyone on the bridge stopped to see a small boxy spacecraft come into view on the viewscreen as it approached the huge and imposing ship. They watched in solemn silence, understanding that their Captain likely wouldn't be coming back from this one. A few stood up to give a salute as they see the shuttle disappear into the shadows of the enemy ship's spires. It was like watching a small defenseless creature walking willingly into the toothy maw of an enormous beast.**

The Huntsmen gave a quick salute to the brave man as he flew off to his likely death.

**After a moment of grim silence, Jaune had to speak.**

**"Ensign Daichi, bring up Captain Ironwood's vitals."**

**Yatsuhashi replied in the affirmative as a few button presses bought Ironwood's biometric feed into view in the bottom corner of the viewscreen. At the moment, the former Captain was reading as nervous but controlled.**

James sighs and nods, "That's sounds about right." He tried to leave the thought of his other likely dying again when a stray thought hit him. He blinked, "Wait," he looks at the screen in shock, "the ship has a way to view emotions?"

A few others looked at the screen in shock. Coco gaped, "Seriously, just how many toys does the Federation have?"

Ren's mind was going into overdrive, wondering how that was possible, and at such a large distance. 'This could be extremely helpful for law enforcement.'

Everyone was going over what Coco said, wondering what other technology the government had. They didn't know they were trying to use this as a coping mechanism for what they all knew was coming.

**END**

**Woo, another chapter done. Yeah, it's a shorter one, but I really felt this was a good stopping point. And again, sorry for the late update. Good news, for me at least, was I got to have ice-cream cake :) ! Anyway, thank you guys for the wonderful gift, and hope to see you next time!**

**List of current Jaune's children in the Nexus:**

**Neo: Lucy**

**Emerald: Peridot & Garnet**

**Vernal: Amber**

**Raven: Robin**

**Sienna: Altani**

**Glynda: Alice**

**1\. While wormholes would be rare in normal cases, keep in mind that their future is Stargate, where wormhole/time/dimensional travel are a common thing.**

**2\. I never understood why they didn't send their non-essential personnel (like a pregnant woman) to a nearby world **_**before**_** they went to check what was causing the anomaly. I can sort of understand that the guys in charge didn't know what it was, and they didn't have much time. But they were also going near the border of the Klingon Empire, an interstellar government that the Federation is in a recent Cold War with. Don't know about you, but I thought sending them into a potentially hostile environment like that without dropping a few people off first was a stupid idea.**

**3\. I know that in the real emptiness of space, sounds can't be heard. Which is what I love about this scene as mean as it is to admit, but keep in mind that the Stargate Universe (and several others) doesn't adhere to this particular rule when it comes to screams and explosions.**


End file.
